Coronidium is a genus of approximately 21 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (order Asterales), endemic to eastern Australia. The genus was first formally described in 2008 by Australian botanist Paul G. Wilson in the journal Nuytsia, having been segregated from the broader everlasting daisy genus Helichrysum.
Plants in Coronidium are perennial herbs characterised by disc-like flower heads surrounded by several rows of involucral bracts. The florets are usually bisexual, with narrowly cylindrical petals fused into a tube. After flowering, the plants produce glabrous, oblong cypselas (achene-like fruits) topped with a bristly pappus — a bristle crown that aids in wind dispersal.
The type species, Coronidium oxylepis, was originally described as Helichrysum oxylepis by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1858 in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae, from specimens collected on Moreton Island, Queensland. The genus ranges across eastern Australia, with most species concentrated in Queensland and New South Wales; two species also occur in South Australia and one extends into Tasmania.
Etymology
The name Coronidium derives from the Greek word korone, meaning "a crown," combined with the diminutive suffix -idion. The name alludes to the short pappus crown characteristic of the Coronidium oxylepis group of species.
Distribution
Coronidium is endemic to eastern Australia, centred in Queensland and New South Wales. Two species also occur in South Australia, and one species extends its range into Tasmania.
Taxonomy Notes
Coronidium was segregated from Helichrysum and formally established as a distinct genus in 2008 by Paul G. Wilson (published in Nuytsia). The type species, Coronidium oxylepis (previously Helichrysum oxylepis), was first described by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1858. GBIF recognises 24 accepted taxa within the genus.
