Ptilotus divaricatus

Ptilotus divaricatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Ptilotus
Species:	P. divaricatus
Binomial name
Ptilotus divaricatus (Gaudich.) F.Muell. [1]
Synonyms [1]
Ptilotus divaricatus(Gaudich.) F.Muell. var. divaricatus Ptilotus divaricatus var. rubescens Benl Ptilotus striatus(Moq. ex Benth.) F.Muell. Trichinium divaricatumGaudich. Trichinium striatumMoq. ex Benth.

Habit in the Australian National Botanic Gardens

Ptilotus divaricatus, commonly known as climbing mulla mulla ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic Western Australia. It is a prostrate to scrambling shrub with linear stem leaves and oval, hemispherical or spherical clusters of white or pinkish-purple flowers.

Description

Ptilotus divaricatus is a prostrate to spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.3–1.5 m (1 ft 0 in – 4 ft 11 in). Its stem leaves are linear, 5–45 mm (0.20–1.77 in) long and 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) wide. There are no leaves at the base of the plant. The flowers are borne in oval, hemispherical or spherical clusters of densely arranged white or pinkish-purple flowers with colourless bracts 4.0–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) long and bracteoles 5.5–6.5 mm (0.22–0.26 in) long at the base. The outer tepals are 9.5–15 mm (0.37–0.59 in) long and the inner tepals slightly shorter with a tuft of hairs on the inner surface. The style is 4.0–4.6 mm (0.16–0.18 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to December and the seeds are dull orange or pale brown. ^[2]

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1829 by Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré who gave it the name Trichinium divaricatum in is Voyage Autour du Monde ... sur les Corvettes de S.M. l'Uranie et la Physicienne. Botanique. ^{[3] [4]} In 1868 by Ferdinand von Mueller transferred the species to Ptilotus as P. divaricatus in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae . ^{[5] [6]}

Distribution and habitat

Ptilotus divaricatus grows in sandy soils and laterite and is widely distributed in the Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Gascoyne, Geraldton Sandplains, Murchison, Pilbara, Swan Coastal Plain and Yalgoo bioregions of Western Australia. ^[2]

Conservation status

Ptilotus divaricatus is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. ^[2]

References

1. "Ptilotus divaricatus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
2. "Ptilotus divaricatus". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
3. "Trichinium divaricatum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
4. Gaudichaud-Beaupre, C. (1829), Voyage Autour du Monde ... sur les Corvettes de S.M. l'Uranie et la Physicienne. Botanique 11: 445
5. "Ptilotus divaricatus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
6. Mueller, F.J.H. von (1868). "Amarantaceae". Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. 6 (49): 229.

External links

• Ptilotus divaricatus occurrence data from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium