Bellendena

Bellendena montana, commonly known as mountain rocket, is a species of low-growing multi-stemmed shrub in the plant family Proteaceae.

[3] Scottish botanist Robert Brown described the mountain rocket in 1810 as Bellendena montana,[4] naming the genus in honour of John Bellenden Ker Gawler for his botanical works.

[5] Phylogenetic studies often place this genus as basal (one of the earliest offshoots) to the rest of the Proteaceae, though its exact position and relationships are unclear.

A 2006 analysis, synthesizing molecular and other studies, by Weston and Barker[3] located it as sister to the subfamily Persoonioideae, the two sharing a common ancestor which diverged from the other Proteaceae.

[6] Bellendena montana is found at altitudes above 1000 m (3500 ft), though rarely lower to 400 m.[4] It grows on low-nutrient soils (mostly dolerite, but sometimes quartzite or basalt-derived[4]) with good drainage, often rocky outcrops,[6] as well as more boggy areas and alpine heathland.