Brachyscome tenuiscapa

Brachyscome tenuiscapa is a perennial herb with a long, slender stem holding a singular white or mauve flower-head. The length of the stem ranges from 8–22 cm (3.1–8.7 in), and are unbranched, with small, leafy bracts and glandular hairs. Leaves are spoon-shaped, arranged in a small basal rosette and are distinctively toothed, 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) wide and 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) long. Flower-heads are 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) across, and involucral bract tips are acute to subacute. Disc florets are a bright yellow with five lobes. The fruit is a dark brown to purplish-brown achene, wedge-shaped and slightly thickened at the margins. The pappus of B. tenuiscapa is white and very short, as is characteristic of the genus. B. tenuiscapa can be confused with Brachyscome scapigeraa, as they are both alpine plants with similar fruits and flowers, but B. scapigera has hairless leaves without toothing, and the basal cluster of leaves is more upright. B. tenuiscapa can be distinguished from the mainland Australian species Brachyscome foliosa (which which it was classified with for many years) as B. foliosa has black achenes, more leaves on the scape, and is more lobed than B. tenuiscapa.

B. tenuiscapa mainly occurs in damp alpine or subalpine grasslands, heathlands, and herb fields, colonising bare patches via basal shoots. In Tasmania, its distribution is more concentrated in the Central Highlands, around Great Lake, although it has also been found at the northern edge of Mt Field National Park, as well as in the Southern Ranges. It is commonly associated with Poa species, particularly Poa gunnii, as well as heaths such as Epacris gunnii and Richea scoparia, peas such as Bossiaea riparia, other Asteraceaes such as Olearia algida, and even amongst cushion plant species Donatia novae-zelandiae.