Ptilotus latifolius

Ptilotus latifolius
Conservation status
Least Concern  (NCA)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Ptilotus
Species:	P. latifolius
Binomial name
Ptilotus latifolius R.Br. [1]
Distribution map for Ptilotus latifolius in Australia
Synonyms [1]
Ptilotus latifoliusR.Br. subsp. latifolius Ptilotus latifoliusR.Br. var. latifolius Ptilotus latifolius var. maior Benl orth. var. Ptilotus latifolius var. majorBenl Trichinium latifolium(R.Br.) Ewart & O.B.Davies

Habit near Carnarvon

Ptilotus latifolius, commonly known as tangled mulla mulla or white foxtail ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is an annual or short-lived perennial herb with hairy stems and leaves, egg-shaped leaves and spherical or oval spikes of white flowers.

Description

Ptilotus latifolius is a much-branched, rounded, annual or perennial herb that usually grows to a height less than 70 cm (28 in). Its stems are densely covered with woolly, branched or simple hairs, often becoming glabrous with age. The stem leaves are egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 8–45 mm (0.31–1.77 in) long and 5–16 mm (0.20–0.63 in) wide with fewer hairs than on the stems. The flowers are densely arranged in spherical or oval spikes up to 25 mm (0.98 in) long and 10–17 mm (0.39–0.67 in) wide, each flower with five perianth segments 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long with colourless bracts about 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long and bracteoles 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long that are longer than the perianth and resemble sepals. There are 5 stamens and the ovary is sessile. Flowering occurs in most months with a peak between July and October. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Taxonomy

Ptilotus latifolius was first formally described in 1849 by Robert Brown in Charles Sturt's Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia. ^{[6] [7]} The specific epithet (latifolius) means 'broad-leaved'. ^[8]

Distribution and habitat

Tangled mulla mulla grows on sand dunes and stony plains in the Carnarvon, Central Ranges, Dampierland, Gascoyne, Great Sandy Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Little Sandy Desert and Pilbara bioregions of northern Western Australia, the Burt Plain, Central Ranges, Finke, Gascoyne, Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Little Sandy Desert, MacDonnell Ranges, Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields and Stony Plains bioregions of the Northern Territory, the Central Ranges, Channel Country, Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields and Stony plains bioregions of north-western South Australia, the souh-west of Queensland and the far north-west of New South Wales. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Ecology

Seeds develop inside enclosed tepals that act as a seed case and are distributed by the wind. ^[9]

References

1. "Ptilotus latifolius". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
2. Jacobs, Surrey Wilfrid Laurance; Lapinpuro, L. "Ptilotus latifolius". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
3. "Ptilotus latifolius". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
4. "Ptilotus latifolius". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
5. "Ptilotus latifolius". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
6. "Ptilotus latifolius". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
7. Brown, Robert (1849). Sturt, Charles (ed.). Botanical Appendix. Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia. Vol. 2. London: T. and W. Boone. p. 88. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
8. George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 242. ISBN   9780645629538.
9. Urban, Anne (2001). Wildflowers and plants of inland Australia (1 ed.). Alice Springs: Paul Fitzsimons. ISBN   064641688X.