Commersonia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect, open shrub with hairy, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves, and white or cream-coloured flowers.
Description
Commersonia grandiflora is an erect, open shrub that typically grows to 0.7–3 m (2 ft 4 in – 9 ft 10 in) high and 0.7–1.5 m (2 ft 4 in – 4 ft 11 in) wide, its young stems covered with velvety, star-shaped hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped to elliptic, 12–45 mm (0.47–1.77 in) long and 7–22 mm (0.28–0.87 in) wide on a petiole 2–9 mm (0.079–0.354 in) long with stipules 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) long at the base. The edges of the leaves are serrated and rolled under, both surfaces densely covered with star-shaped hairs. The flowers are arranged in heads of 4 to 20 opposite leaf axils and are 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) in diameter, the groups on a peduncle 2–15 mm (0.079–0.591 in) long, each flower on pedicel 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) long. The flowers have five white or cream-coloured, hairy, petal-like sepals and five hairy white petals with a hairy, narrow ligule about the same length as the sepals. There is a single white staminode between each pair of stamens. Flowering occurs from July to November and the fruit is a spherical capsule 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) in diameter and densely-covered with white, star-shaped hairs and bristles.[2]
^ abBlake, Trevor L. (2021). Lantern bushes of Australia ; Thomasias & allied genera : a field and horticultural guide. Victoria: Australian Plants Society, Keilor Plains Group. pp. 186–187. ISBN9780646839301.
^Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 210. ISBN9780958034180.
