Ptilotus aervoides | |
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North of Wittenoom | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Amaranthaceae |
Genus: | Ptilotus |
Species: | P. aervoides |
Binomial name | |
Ptilotus aervoides | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Trichinium aervoidesF.Muell. |
Ptilotus aervoides, commonly known as mat mulla mulla, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to western Australia. It is a prostrate, mat-forming annual or short-lived perennial herb, its stems densely hairy at first, egg-shaped to spatula-shaped stem leaves, dense spikes of hairy creamy-green flowers with two or three fertile stamens.
Ptilotus aervoides is a prostrate, mat-forming annual or short-lived perennial herb that typically grows up to 4 cm (1.6 in) high and 70 cm (28 in) wide, with densely hairy young stems that become glabrous as they age. The leaves are egg-shaped to spatula-shaped, 60 mm (2.4 in) long, 20 mm (0.79 in) wide and sometimes reddish. The flowers are hairy, creamy-green, often tinged with pinkish-purple, borne in oval to cylindrical spikes 7–40 mm (0.28–1.57 in) long and 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) wide. There is a bract 3.2–5 mm (0.13–0.20 in) long and two hairy, colourless bracteoles 3.5–4.5 mm (0.14–0.18 in) long at the base of the flowers. Flowering occurs from May to October. [2] [3] [4]
This species was first formally described in 1862 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Trichinium aervoides in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected during the Francis Thomas Gregory expedition of 1861. [5] [6] In a later edition of the same book, von Mueller changed the name to Ptilotus aervoides. [7] The specific epithet (aervoides) means ' Aerva - like'. [8]
Mat mulla mulla is widespread in the north-west of Western Australia, and occurs in the Central Ranges bioregion of South Australia and in the Burt Plain, Finke, Little Sandy Desert, MacDonnell Ranges and Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields bioregions of southern Northern Territory. [4]
This species of Ptilotus is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [4] but as "near threatened" under the Northern Territory Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. [3]
Hovea acanthoclada, commonly known as thorny hovea, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is an upright, prickly shrub with small dark green leaves and purple-blue pea flowers in winter and spring. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.
Grevillea plurijuga is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southern Western Australia. It is a prostrate to low-lying or dense mounded to erect shrub with divided leaves with linear lobes and loose clusters of hairy, red or pink flowers.
Persoonia brachystylis is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a restricted area on the west coast of Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with smooth bark, narrow spatula-shaped to lance-shaped leaves and yellow flowers in groups of ten to twenty.
Seringia hermanniifolia, commonly known as crinkle-leaved firebush, is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low-growing or prostrate, suckering shrub with hairy new growth, hairy, wavy, oblong to egg-shaped leaves and mauve to bluish flowers arranged in groups of 3 to 8.
Grevillea pityophylla is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to inland areas of Western Australia. It is a dense shrub with linear to more or less cylindrical leaves and hairy, pinkish-red to bright red flowers.
Ptilotus manglesii, commonly known as pom poms is a herb native to Western Australia. The Noongar name for the plant is mulla mulla.
Conospermum coerulescens is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with thread-like to narrowly lance-shaped leaves and spikes of up to 10 greyish-blue to deep blue, hairy flowers.
Prostanthera canaliculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, erect shrub with hairy branchlets, narrow egg-shaped to narrow elliptical leaves and pale blue or pale violet to white flowers with no markings.
Ptilotus divaricatus is a shrub in the Amaranthaceae family.
Goodenia hirsuta is a species of flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a hairy, prostrate to low-lying perennial herb with narrow egg-shaped leaves at the base of the plant, racemes of hairy yellow flowers and oval to elliptic fruit.
Gompholobium polyzygum is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is an erect or prostrate shrub with pinnate leaves each with sixteen to twenty-one pairs of leaflets, and yellow-orange and greenish, pea-like flowers.
Styphelia flavescens is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with oblong leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers that are densely bearded on the inside.
Stenanthemum complicatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a woody, erect or straggling shrub with densely hairy young stems, broadly egg-shaped leaves and densely woolly-hairy heads of tube-shaped flowers.
Pimelea holroydii is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to the north of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with egg-shaped leaves arranged more or less in opposite pairs, and head-like clusters of white or cream-coloured, tube-shaped flowers.
Stenanthemum pumilum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is a low, compact shrub with hairy young stems, egg-shaped leaves, sometimes with the narrower end towards the base, and clusters of 10 to 30 white to creamy-white, woolly hairy, tube-shaped flowers.
Commersonia magniflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and endemic to Australia. It is an erect shrub with wrinkled, narrowly oblong to elliptic or egg-shaped leaves, and deep pink flowers.
Pimelea sanguinea is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a semi-prostrate herb with narrowly egg-shaped to almost linear leaves, and heads of red flowers surrounded by green or reddish, and deep reddish-purple involucral bracts.
Androcalva melanopetala is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae and is endemic to southern inland Western Australia. It is a sometimes prostrate shrub that has densely hairy new growth, egg-shaped to elliptic leaves with rounded teeth on the edges, and clusters of white or cream-coloured and pink to red flowers.
Styphelia strongylophylla is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect shrub with crowded egg-shaped or round leaves and white, tube-shaped flower arranged singly or in pairs in leaf axils.
Goodenia exigua is a species of flowering plant in the Goodeniaceae family and is endemic to the south of Western Australia. It is a stoloniferous, perennial plant with whorls of spatula-shaped leaves and yellow flowers.