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The Corroboree

ID'd - Anthocercis illicifolia


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can we see some foliage please?

hmmm. No, not really. Here is the only other photo I took.

post-158-1157273195_thumb.jpg

From what I remember the leaves were 50mm ish long and typically leaf shaped. When I first saw it I instantly thought Solanaceae - yellow flowers, leathery leaves, growing at the beach. The leaf shape was definitely not un-solanaceous. But the flower clearly is.

post-158-1157273195_thumb.jpg

post-158-1157273195_thumb.jpg

post-158-1157273195_thumb.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

hi creach

the genus is definitely anthocercis. there are 2 main possibilities growing in the area you described - littorea and ilicifolia. ilicifolia has broader corollas and relatively short lobes compared to littorea. there are a few variations, subspecies and tweaks in the design. this species is ilicifolia - possibly the caldariola subspecies (see http://florabase.calm.wa.gov.au/browse/flo...s&id=11537). it depends on whether the habit of the plant was a shrub or a central stalk (ilicifolias often have a weedy annual appearance, even though they aren't annuals or weeds - they are an endemic perennial with a tendency to quickly colonise disturbed, limey and burnt land).

Anthocercis are known to test strongly for tropane alkaloids (see Aplin and Canon, Economic Botany 1971 vol 25), mainly hyoscyamine at around .15% in flowers and leaves (phytochemistry 1973 vol 12 pp 2505-7). There is a tasmanian species that contains nicotine, and since they are closely related to duboisia the alkaloid content may vary with temperature (apparently both tropane and pyridine alkaloid biosynthetic pathways share a common polyamine metabolism - which is interesting in that they work in opposite directions on acetylcholine).

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hi creach

the genus is definitely anthocercis. there are 2 main possibilities growing in the area you described - littorea and ilicifolia. ilicifolia has broader corollas and relatively short lobes compared to littorea. there are a few variations, subspecies and tweaks in the design. this species is ilicifolia - possibly the caldariola subspecies (see http://florabase.calm.wa.gov.au/browse/flo...s&id=11537). it depends on whether the habit of the plant was a shrub or a central stalk (ilicifolias often have a weedy annual appearance, even though they aren't annuals or weeds - they are an endemic perennial with a tendency to quickly colonise disturbed, limey and burnt land).

Anthocercis are known to test strongly for tropane alkaloids (see Aplin and Canon, Economic Botany 1971 vol 25), mainly hyoscyamine at around .15% in flowers and leaves (phytochemistry 1973 vol 12 pp 2505-7). There is a tasmanian species that contains nicotine, and since they are closely related to duboisia the alkaloid content may vary with temperature (apparently both tropane and pyridine alkaloid biosynthetic pathways share a common polyamine metabolism - which is interesting in that they work in opposite directions on acetylcholine).

Great post!

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