Asterolasia elegans

Asterolasia elegans is an erect, spindly shrub that typically grows to a height of 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in) with its stems densely covered with woolly, rusty-red, star-shaped hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped to elliptical, 40–130 mm (1.6–5.1 in) long and 9–25 mm (0.35–0.98 in) wide on a petiole 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long. The leaves are covered with white and rusty-red star-shaped hairs, densely so on the lower surface. The flowers are arranged singly or in umbels of up to nine in leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets, each flower on a pedicel 4–18 mm (0.16–0.71 in) long. The petals are white, elliptical, 8–14 mm (0.31–0.55 in) long, densely covered with white, star-shaped hairs on the back and there are ten stamens.[2][3][4]

Asterolasia elegans was first formally described in 1990 by Lyn McDougall and Marianne F. Porteners in the journal Telopea from specimens collected by McDougall near Maroota in 1989.[4][5]

This species grows in moist places on hillsides in forests north of Sydney.[2][4]

Asterolasia elegans is only known from seven populations over a distance of 37 km (23 mi) and is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Government Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The main threats to the species include inappropriate fire regimes, habitat loss, weed invasion and grazing by feral animals and domestic livestock.[6][7]