Maireana sedifolia

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Maireana sedifolia
Maireana sedifolia 2.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. sedifolia
Binomial name
Maireana sedifolia
(F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Kochia sedifoliaF.Muell. nom. inval., nom. nud.
  • Kochia sedifoliaF.Muell.
  • Kochia sedifolia F.Muell. isonym
  • Kochia sedifolia F.Muell. var. sedifolia

Maireana sedifolia, also known as pearl bluebush, pearl saltbush, hoary bluebush, [2] [3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to arid parts of inland Australia. It is a compact, widely branching shrub with fleshy, narrowly egg-shaped leaves, pairs of densely woolly bisexual flowers, and a firm, thin-walled fruiting perianth with a papery, horizontal wing.

Contents

Description

Maireana sedifolia is a compact, widely-branched, dioecious shrub that typically grows to a height of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and is covered with bluish grey, woolly hairs. Its leaves are arranged alternately, narrowly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long with a rounded tip. The flowers are arranged in pairs, closely woolly, with usually only one maturing, the male flower hemispherical and the female spherical. The fruiting perianth is straw coloured or pale brown when dry, and the tube is hemispherical to top-shaped, about 2 mm (0.079 in) high and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide at the top, firm but thin-walled except for a thick base. The wing is horizontal, papery and glabrous with a single slit. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1855 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Kochia sedifolia in his book Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants. [8] [9] In 1975, Paul Graham Wilson reassigned the species to Maireana as M. sedifolia in the journal Nuytsia . [6] [10]

Distribution and habitat

Maireana sedifolia often grows in calcareous soil and is found in south-western New South Wales, [4] north-western Victoria, [5] South Australia, [7] southern Northern Territory [2] and south-eastern Western Australia. [11]


References

  1. 1 2 "Maireana sedifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Maireana sedifolia". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 Wilson, Paul G. "Maireana sedifolia". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 "PlantNET - FloraOnline". plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  5. 1 2 Walsh, Neville G. "Maireana sedifolia". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  6. 1 2 Wilson, Paul G. (1975). "A Taxonomic Revision of the genus Maireana (Chenopodiaceae)". Nuytsia. 2 (1): 36–37. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Maireana sedifolia". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  8. ↑ "Kochia sedifolia". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  9. ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1855). Definitions of rare or hitherto undescribed Australian plants. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 52. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  10. ↑ "Maireana sedifolia". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "Maireana sedifolia". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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