Maireana prosthecochaeta

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Maireana prosthecochaeta
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Maireana
Species:
M. prosthecochaeta
Binomial name
Maireana prosthecochaeta
Synonyms [1]

Kochia prosthecochaetaF.Muell.

Maireana prosthecochaeta is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae, and is endemic to the north-west of Western Australia. It is an open, densely-leaved, glabrous shrub with erect branches, almost terete leaves, bisexual flowers arranged singly, and a glabrous, dark brown fruiting perianth with a horizontal wing.

Contents

Description

Maireana prosthecochaeta is an open, densely-leaved, glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 60 cm (24 in), its branches erect, somewhat fleshy, the older portions with prominent leaf bases. Its leaves are arranged alternately, fleshy and almost terete, up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide and bright green. The flowers are bisexual, arranged singly and glabrous, crowded towards the ends of branches. The fruiting perianth is glabrous, dark brown when dry, with a top-shaped tube about 5 mm (0.20 in) high, and a simple wing about 15 mm (0.59 in) in diameter. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1882 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Kochia prosthecochaeta in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae . [5] [6] In 1975, Paul Wilson transferred the species to Maireana as M. prosthecochaeta in the journal Nuytsia . [3] [7] The specific epithet (prosthecochaeta) means 'a long appendage', "probably referring to the needle-shaped processes on the perianth". [8]

Distribution and habitat

This species of bluebush usually grows in laterite on hills and in salty places, from Cue north to the Gascoyne River in the Gascoyne and Murchison bioregions of north-western Western Australia. [2] [4]

Conservation status

Maireana prosthecochaeta is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [4] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Maireana prosthecochaeta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 Wilson, Paul G. "Maireana prosthecochaeta". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 Wilson, Paul G. (1975). "A Taxonomic Revision of the genus Maireana (Chenopodiaceae)". Nuytsia. 2 (1): 44–45. doi:10.58828/nuy00028 . Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Maireana prosthecochaeta". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. ↑ "Kochia prosthecochaeta". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  6. ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1882). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 14–18. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Maireana prosthecochaeta". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  8. ↑ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 294. ISBN   9780645629538.
  9. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
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