Narrow lance shape

Red-head cotton bush

Asclepias curassavica

 

A perennial with erect, rigid stems, green at the base and pur­plish near the top, growing to 1.5 m high. The plant has milky sap. Leaves are dark green, opposite, mostly near the top of the stems, 7 to 10 cm long and about 12 mm wide and tapering at both ends. Flowers are in bunches at the tops of the stems and are bright red with brilliant yellow centres. The seed pods, which are 7 cm long and about 12 mm in diameter, burst open when ripe releasing the seeds which are very light and furnished with tufts of long, white, silky hairs. Red-head Cotton Bush is found in all districts usually in grass paddocks, along fencelines and in uncultivated areas. It is poi­sonous to stock but not often eaten. 

Bushy starwort

Aster subulatus

An erect annual or perennial herb with stiff slender stems, growing to 2 m high. It has no conspicuous hairs and is much branched in the upper parts at flowering. The leaves are alternate, narrow, tapering at both ends and half clasping the stems. They have a peculiar pattern of veins. The basal leaves are 2 to 12 cm long and up to 15 mm wide tapering to a long leaf stalk. They become progressively smaller up the stems and the upper leaves are stalkless. Flower heads are numerous, green, narrow-cylindrical and 5 to 7 mm long. They have several rows of fine green, often purple-tipped, bracts and many very small white to pale coloured petals carried on spreading branches with very fine, small leaves. Seeds are small, brown with a tuft of fine, pale hairs.

Red-head cotton bush

Asclepias curassavica

 An erect annual herb that grows up to 40 cm high after first forming a rosette of leaves. The lower leaves are stalked and vary from deeply lobed to unlobed. They are up to 15 cm long and 3 cm wide. Upper leaves are also variable in shape with their bases clasping the stalk. All leaves are hairy, sometimes with simple hairs and sometimes with star-shaped or branched hairs. Flowers are white, about 3 cm across and carried at the ends of the branches. Petals are 2 to 3 mm long with a short stalk. Pods are characteristically heart-shaped, with a notch at the top, 6 to 9 mm long and carried on spreading stalks up to 2 cm long. Shepherd's Purse is widespread in central and southern Queens-land and NSW and is found on headlands, roadsides and banks.