A revision of Cassinia (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae) in Australia. 5. Additional taxa in Section Leptocephalae
Additional collections and re-examination of previous specimens allow the description of new taxa in Cassinia. Cassinia sect. Leptocephalae is divided into three series: ser. Leptocephaleae, which comprises the C. leptocephala / C. cunninghamii / C. decipiens group; ser. Macrocephaleae Orchard, ser. nov. to accommodate C. macrocephala and C. denticulata; and ser. Compactae Orchard, ser. nov., to accommodate the C. compacta group of five brown-headed species. Further evidence is presented to support the suggestion that the lack of paleae in those Cassinia species with few florets is an artefact, and that the innermost ‘phyllaries’ are in fact paleae. Two new subspecies of C. macrocephala are described: subsp. petrapendula Orchard, subsp. nov. and subsp. storyi Orchard, subsp. nov., plus one new species, Cassinia furtiva Orchard, sp. nov.