Ptilotus nobilis

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Ptilotus nobilis
Ptilotus nobilis inflorescence.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Ptilotus
Species:
P. nobilis
Binomial name
Ptilotus nobilis
Synonyms [1]
  • Ptilotus nobilis(Lindl.) F.Muell. subsp. nobilis
  • Ptilotus nobilis(Lindl.) F.Muell. var. nobilis
  • Trichinium densum A.Cunn. ex Moq.
  • Trichinium nobileLindl.
  • Trichinium macrocephalumauct. non R.Br.: Moquin-Tandon, C.H.B.A. in Candolle, (1849)

Ptilotus nobilis, commonly known as yellowtails, regal foxtail [2] or tall mulla mulla, [3] is an annual or short-lived perennial herb of the family Amaranthaceae and is found in arid areas of all mainland states and the Northern Territory of Australia. It is deeply taprooted, with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and cylindrical spikes of yellowish green or creamy-green flowers.

Contents

Description

Ptilotus nobilis is an erect annual or short-lived perennial herb with several stems, that typically grows to a height of 30–60 cm (12–24 in), sometimes to 1 m (3 ft 3 in). It has egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, 50–140 mm (2.0–5.5 in) long, 10–35 mm (0.39–1.38 in) wide, thick and glabrous at the base of the plant, and similar but smaller stem leaves. The flowers are borne in erect, cylindrical spikes 50–120 mm (2.0–4.7 in) long and 40–50 mm (1.6–2.0 in) in diameter with egg-shaped bracts about 10 mm (0.39 in) long and similar bracteoles at the base. The perianth is 20–25 mm (0.79–0.98 in) long, the tepals free but united at the base with silky hairs on the outer half. There are three or four stamens, the ovary is supported on a stalk with a slightly s-shaped style in the centre. Flowering occurs from August to December. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1838 by English botanist John Lindley, who gave it the name Trichinium nobile in Thomas Mitchell's Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia. [6] [7] In 1868, Ferdinand von Mueller transferred the species to Ptilotus as P. nobilis in the sixth volume of his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae . [8] [9]

In 2007, a study by Kok K. Lee and others united P. nobilis and Ptilotus exaltatus on molecular grounds, [10] but a morphological and ecological investigation by Tim Hammer and others provided evidence supporting the reinstatment of both species as distinct. [11] The names of both species are accepted by the Australian Plant Census [1] [12] and Plants of the World Online. [13] [14] In Victoria at least, the two species are readily distinguished from each other. [4]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Ptilotus grows in open shrublands, grasslands, open stony plains, gravelly ranges, hills or rises, in fine-textured, loamy, clayey or rocky, sandy soils in Western Australia, [3] South Australia, [15] the Northern Territory, [5] Queensland, [16] the slopes and western plains of New South Wales, [2] [17] and Victoria. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ptilotus nobilis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Jacobs, Surrey Wilfrid Laurance; Lapinpuro, L.; McClune, S. "Ptilotus nobilis". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ptilotus nobilis". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. 1 2 3 Messina, Andre; Walsh, Neville G. "Ptilotus nobilis". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Ptilotus nobilis". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Trichinium nobile". APNI. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Lindley, John (1838). Mitchell, Thomas L. (ed.). Three expeditions into the interior of eastern Australia; with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix, and of the present colony of New South Wales. London: T. & W. Boone. p. 22. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Ptilotus nobilis". APNI. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  9. ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1868). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 227–228. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Lee, Kok K.; Harrison, Dion K.; Johnston, Margaret E.; Williams, Richard R. (2007). "Molecular taxonomic clarification of Ptilotus exaltatus and Ptilotus nobilis (Amaranthaceae)" (PDF). Australian Systematic Botany. 20: 72–81. doi:10.1071/sb06010.
  11. ↑ Hammer, Timothy A.; Macintyre, Paul D.; Nge, Francis J.; Davis, Robert W.; Mucina, Ladislav; Thiele, Kevin R. (2018). "The noble and the exalted: a multidisciplinary approach to resolving a taxonomic controversy within Ptilotus (Amaranthaceae)". Australian Systematic Botany. 31 (3): 262–280. doi:10.1071/SB17062 . Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Ptilotus exaltatus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Ptilotus nobilis". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ptilotus exaltatus". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Ptilotus nobilis ssp. nobilis". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  16. ↑ "Taxon - Ptilotus nobilis". Queensland Government WildNet. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  17. ↑ Cunningham, Geoff M.; Mulham, William E.; Milthorpe, Peter L.; Leigh, John H. (1981). Plants of Western New South Wales. Sydney, New South Wales: NSW Government Printing Service. p. 288. ISBN   0-7240-2003-9.
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