Maireana pyramidata

Last updated

Maireana pyramidata
Maireana pyramidata15348541212 f3449f42fa o.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Maireana
Species:
M. pyramidata
Binomial name
Maireana pyramidata
Maireanapyramidata1.png
Occurrence data for M. pyramidata from the AVH
Synonyms [2]
  • Kochia lobostoma F.Muell.
  • Kochia pyramidataBenth.
  • Kochia pyramidata var. lobostoma(F.Muell.) C.Moore
  • Kochia pyramidataBenth. var. pyramidata
Habit near Balranald Maireana pyramidata Fagg.jpg
Habit near Balranald

Maireana pyramidata (sago bush, [3] black bluebush, shrubby bluebush [4] ) is a species of flowering plant in family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to Australia, where it is found in all mainland states and the Northern Territory. It is a compact, dense, stiffly branched shrub with hairy, spreading leaves, mostly unisexual flowers and a pale brown to black fruiting perianth with a papery wing.

Contents

Description

Maireana pyramidata is a compact, dense, stiffly branched shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1.5 m (1 ft 0 in – 4 ft 11 in) and has woolly branchlets. Its leaves are arranged alternately, spreading, linear to narrowly lance-shaped, more or less terete, 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) long and covered with fine, woolly hairs pressed against the surface. The flowers are mostly unisexual, (the plants frequently dioecious) and covered with woolly hairs. The fruiting perianth is pale brown to black when dry, the tube flat to top-shaped and thin-walled, the wing papery, horizontal and usually up to 12 mm (0.47 in) in diameter. The fruits mostly appear from August to November. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomy and naming

This species was first formally described in 1870 by George Bentham who gave it the name Kochia pyramidata in his Flora Australiensis . [7] [8] The species was reassigned to the genus Maireana as M. pyramidata Wilson in 1975. [6] [9]

The specific epithet, pyramidata, refers to the pyramidal shape of the centre of the fruit. [10]

Distribution and habitat

Sago bush is widespread in drier areas of Australia, growing on calcareous soils, saline flats, salt lakes and on areas usually prone to flooding. [3] [4] [11] In Victoria, it is found in the far north-west: Mildura, Red Cliffs, Culluleraine and the Kerang-Swan Hill district. [3]

In Western Australia, it is found in the Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Central Ranges, Gascoyne, Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Murchison, Nullarbor, Pilbara, and Yalgoo. [11]

In South Australia it occurs in the Broken Hill Complex, Channel Country, Eyre Yorke Block, Finke, Flinders Lofty Block, Gawler, Great Victoria Desert, Murray Darling Depression, Riverina, Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields and Stony Plains bioregions. [12]

Maireana pyramidata is found in the far south of the Northern Territory. [1]

In New South Wales it is found in the Far West of the state. [4]

Conservation status

Maireana pyramidata is listed as "near threatened" under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act . [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NTFlora factsheet: Maireana pyramidata". Northern Territory Government. 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Maireana pyramidata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "VicFlora: Maireana pyramidata". Royal Botanic Gardens, Foundation Victoria. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Jacobs, S.W.L. 1990. "Maireana pyramidata". PlantNET – FloraOnline. National Herbarium of NSW. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Paul G. "Maireana pyramidata". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  6. 1 2 Wilson, Paul G. (1975). "A Taxonomic Revision of the genus Maireana (Chenopodiaceae)". Nuytsia. 2 (1): 41–42. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "Kochia pyramidata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  8. ↑ Bentham, George (1870). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 5. London: Lovell Reeves & Co. p. 186. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "Maireana pyramidata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  10. ↑ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 298. ISBN   9780645629538.
  11. 1 2 "FloraBase: Maireana pyramidata". Western Australian Herbarium, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Maireana pyramidata". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.