Anthocercis littorea - Yellow Tailflower

Click image to enlarge

Anthocercis littorea - Yellow Tailflower

Anthocercis is one of the smaller genera of the large Solanaceae family, but contains several interesting species. Anthocercis littorea is a shrub with a liking for deep calcareous sand on stabilised tertiary dunes or over limestone, where after bushfires it will germinate prolifically to dominate hollows where it can form dense thickets. However in this congested situation it will quickly grow to 3 m (10’) in height, but largely disappear within 5 years to be replaced by other vegetation. It does survive (although shorter to around 2 metres) for many years in small-scattered colonies, particularly on more elevated positions where they reproduce from seed.

The conspicuous bright yellow, insect pollinated flowers, are commonly to 4 cm (nearly 13/4”) diameter and if conditions are not excessively dry, will continue to bloom for most of the year. The branches are very light and brittle, but remain stable to sway stiffly in strong winds that are not uncommon in their exposed coastal habitat. Shrubs have scattered pale green leaves (reputed to be toxic to stock) and tend to be open and a little untidy.

With their preference for calcareous soils they mainly occur around the coast, which they do from Israelite Bay (200 km or 125 miles east of Esperance) to Carnarvon (800 km or 500 miles north of Perth). With another 1000 km around the coast from Perth to Esperance, it makes Anthocercis littorea very widespread and well suited to its environment.

Anthocercis viscosa subsp. caudata - Sticky Tailflower

Click image to enlarge

Anthocercis viscosa subsp. caudata - Sticky Tailflower

The Anthocercis genus belongs to the large and highly diverse Solanaceae family, which includes important food plants like Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chilli, etc. Other members are highly toxic like the Deadly Nightshade, whilst others have narcotic properties like tobacco, Pituri, etc. And of course some are just pretty to look at, but they all produce an array of alkaloids that can cause various reactions to those who use them.

Anthocercis although thought to be toxic to stock is more of a pretty to look at member, with large (5 cm or 2” diameter) white/cream, gently aromatic flowers and broad non-prickly, light green slightly viscid (sticky) foliage. It mainly occurs to the north and east of Esperance on elevated granite outcrops (not often found on low-level ones), where drainage is good although kept moist during cooler months. As there is only a limited amount of soil on these exposed granite outcrops, their roots must penetrate deeply into small rock fissures that are the last to dry as summer approaches. The advantage of such a harsh environment means competition from other vegetation is greatly restricted and this species is invariably the largest shrub surviving in habitat.

There are two subspecies of Anthocercis viscosa, with subsp. caudata the only one in the Esperance region, whilst the other subsp. viscosa, is mainly found around Albany. In both cases they tend to occur in coastal or near coastal areas, probably due to the higher rainfall (the Albany subspecies has shorter, but broader petals).

If the local species grows near other vegetation it can be upright and spindly to over 3 metres (10’) in height, but mostly in more open situations it seldom exceeds half that size and is quite bushy. It is recorded flowering from August to February, but this is very dependent on rainfall, as these plants will quickly resurrect themselves with new growth after summer storms. August to November would otherwise be their main flowering period.