Olearia gordonii

Olearia gordonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to inland southern Queensland. It is a small, erect, spreading shrub with linear leaves and blue, daisy-like inflorescences.

Description
Olearia gordonii is a shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 60 cm. Its stems and leaves are covered with long, simple and glandular hairs. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branchlets, linear to narrowly elliptic, 10–75 mm long and 2–8 mm wide, the petiole winged and merged with the leaf blade. The heads or daisy-like "flowers" are arranged in loose groups on the ends of branchlets and are 20–30 mm in diameter on a peduncle up to 80 mm long. Each head has 13 to 33 ray florets, the ligule blue and 7–10 mm long, surrounding 22 to 69 disc florets. Flowering occurs from January to July and the fruit is a flattened oval, light brown achene 2.7–4.0 mm long, the pappus with 20 to 25 bristles.

Taxonomy
Olearia gordonii was first formally described in 1989 by Nicholas Sèan Lander in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected on the Thomby Range between Glenmorgan and Surat by David Morrice Gordon. The specific epithet (gordonii) honours the collector of the type specimens.

Distribution and habitat
Olearia gordonii grows in woodland dominated by bendee (Acacia catenulata) between Glenmorgan and Augathella in south-central Queensland.

Conservation status
This daisy bush is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.