Ptilotus holosericeus

Ptilotus holosericeus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Ptilotus
Species:	P. holosericeus
Binomial name
Ptilotus holosericeus (Moq.) F.Muell. [1]
Synonyms [1]
Ptilotus sp. Jaurdi (L.W.Sage 1733) WA Herbarium Trichinium holosericeumMoq.

Habit near Goomalling

Ptilotus holosericeus is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate to low-lying perennial herb with several stems, oblong to spatula-shaped leaves and oval or cylindrical spikes of green, white or pink flowers.

Description

Ptilotus holosericeus is a prostrate to low-lying perennial herb, that typically grows to a height of up to 10 cm (3.9 in), its stems and leaves covered with soft hairs, later glabrous. Its leaves are oblong to spatula-shaped, mostly 8–70 mm (0.31–2.76 in) long and 3–22 mm (0.12–0.87 in) wide. The flowers are arranged in oval or cylindrical spikes with colourless, hairy bracts 4.7–7.4 mm (0.19–0.29 in) long and similar bracteoles 5.5–6 mm (0.22–0.24 in) long. The outer tepals are 6.2–8.2 mm (0.24–0.32 in) long and the inner tepals 5.2–7.7 mm (0.20–0.30 in) long. The style is 1.4–2.2 mm (0.055–0.087 in) long, sometimes curved, fixed to the side of the ovary. Flowering occurs from September to December. ^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1849 by Alfred Moquin-Tandon who gave it the name Trichinium holosericeum in de Candolle's Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis , from specimens collected near the Swan River by James Drummond. ^{[3] [4]} In 1868, Ferdinand von Mueller transferred the species to Ptilotus as P. holosericeus in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae . ^[5] The specific epithet (holosericeus) means 'entirely silky'. ^[6]

Distribution and habitat

Ptilotus holosericeus grows in clay to sandy-clay in open woodland in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Esperance Plains, Hampton, Mallee, Murchison, Nullarbor and Yalgoo bioregions of south-western Western Australia. ^[2]

See also

• List of Ptilotus species

References

1. "Ptilotus holosericeus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
2. "Ptilotus holosericeus". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
3. Moquin-Tandon, Alfred; de Candolle, Augustin P. (1849). Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis, sive, Enumeratio contracta ordinum generum specierumque plantarum huc usque cognitarium, juxta methodi naturalis, normas digesta. Vol. 13. Paris: Sumptibus Sociorum Treuttel et Würtz. p. 287. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
4. "Trichinium holosericeum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
5. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1868). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 6. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 229. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
6. George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 222. ISBN   9780645629538.