Sclerolaena cuneata
Paul.G.WilsonMuch-branched hemispherical subshrub to 70 cm high, branches glabrous except area surrounding leaf-bases. Leaves linear, 10–20 mm long, terete, acute at apex, grey-green, glabrous or with a few hairs near base. Tube of fruiting perianth glabrous, straw-couloured, oblong-obcuneate, 3–4 mm long, attached obliquely, attachment concave; limb incurved, not or barely exserted above spine-bases; spines 3 or 4, dull yellow, widely divergent, the 3 longer spines abaxial, lateral, and somewhat adaxial and often wrapping around the branch, 8–15 mm long, the forth spine adaxil, erect or divergent, 1–3 mm long. Fruits Jul. (1 record).
VRiv. Also WA, NT, SA, Qld, NSW. In Victoria known from a single collection (collected in 2011) in floodplain woodland west of Kerang.
This species closely resembles Sclerolaena divaricata, from which it is distinguished by the long radicular spine that recurves around the stem. Sclerolaena divaricata has two large lateral spines that extend at right-angles to the stem.
