Cymbonotus (bear's ears) is a small genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae, order Asterales. It comprises three recognised species, all native to southern Australia. The type species, Cymbonotus lawsonianus, occurs in eastern Australia and is commonly known as bear's ears; the other two accepted species are C. maidenii and C. preissianus.
The genus was published by the French botanist Alexandre Henri Gabriel de Cassini in 1825 (Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles 35: 397).
Molecular phylogenetic studies comparing C. lawsonianus with African Asteraceae genera have found Cymbonotus to be closely related to the southern African genera Arctotis and Haplocarpha. This close relationship, despite the genus's isolated Australian distribution, has been taken to suggest a long-distance dispersal event across the Indian Ocean connecting the Australian and African lineages of this group within the tribe Arctotideae.
Distribution
Cymbonotus is native to southern Australia. Its type species, C. lawsonianus, is found in eastern Australia.
Taxonomy Notes
Genus authored by Cassini in 1825 (family Asteraceae, order Asterales). Molecular studies place Cymbonotus as closely related to the African genera Arctotis and Haplocarpha, suggesting the Australian lineage arose via dispersal across the Indian Ocean.
