Synonymy
Cyphanthera myosotidea (F. Muell.) Haegi, Telopea 2: 177 (1981)
Anthocercis myosotidea F. Muell., Trans. Philos. Soc. Victoria 1: 20 (1854): see Taxon 35: 266 for date of this publication.
T: River Murray, 1847, coll. unknown; syn: MEL; Moorundie, S.A., Feb. 1847, coll. unknown; syn: MEL; Murray River, F. Mueller s.n.; syn: K.
Anthocercis amblyantha F. Muell., Fragm. Phytogr. Austral. 1: 179 (1859).
T: Wimmera, Vic., Dallachy s.n.; syn: K, MEL.
Description
Rounded undershrub to 30 cm tall, 45 cm wide. Branches viscid.
Leaves oblong, elliptic or ovate, sometimes abruptly narrowed in upper half, sessile or almost so, 2–10 mm long, 1–4 mm wide, sometimes larger, viscid-pubescent with glandular and non-glandular hairs.
Flowers solitary, or in 1–3–flowered cyme-like groups; pedicels 1–10 mm long. Calyx 2–5 mm long, pubescent. Corolla 6–11 mm long, sparsely pubescent outside, papillose inside, white, the striations purple; lobes broadly elliptic to orbicular, 2.5–5 mm long. Stamens 2–5 mm long, the filaments pubescent at base.
Capsule globose to broadly ovoid, 2.5–4 mm long. Seeds c. 2.5 mm long.
Distribution and ecology
Occurs from north-western Vic. through the Murray region to Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, S.A.
Common in sandy soil in mallee associations, usually in disturbed sites; common after fire.
Notes
May hybridise with Grammosolen dixonii (F. Muell. & R. Tate) Haegi.
Phylogeny
Phylogenetic studies by Garcia & Olmstead (2003) on the Tribe Anthocercideae using two chloroplast DNA regions included this species The studies indicated that Cyphanthera is not monophyletic. Cyphanthers odgersii showed a closer relationship to Grammosolen while the rest of the Cyphanthera species combined to form a clade with Duboisia and Crenidium.
Reference: V.F.Garcia & R.G.Olmstead (2003). Phylogenetics of Tribe Anthocercideaea (Solanaceae) based on ndhF and trnL/F sequence data. Systematic Botany 28: 609-615.
Selected specimens
S.A.: c. 5 km SE of Halidon, L. Haegi 694 (AD, BIRM, BRI, CANB, MEL, MO, NSW, PERTH); Hambidge Reserve, D.E. Symon 4165 (ADW, BIRM, K, CANB); 16 km SW of Buckleboo, D.J.E. Whibley 309 (AD). Vic.: c. 19 km S of Ouyen, 17 Oct. 1960, J.H. Willis s.n. (MEL).
Derivation of epithet
Presumably a reference to a resemblance to the genus Myosotis.
Images and information on web
Pharmacology: A discussion of the tropane alkaloids which occur in Cyphanthera and other Anthocercideae can be found in Griffith & Lin (2000).
Ref: W.J. Griffin & G.D. Lin (2000). Chemotaxonomy and geographical distribution of tropane alkaloids. Phytochemistry 53: 627–628.