Ptilotus rotundifolius

Ptilotus rotundifolius
	Royal mulla mulla near Tom Price, Western Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Ptilotus
Species:	P. rotundifolius
Binomial name
	Ptilotus rotundifolius; (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
Synonyms
	Trichinium rotundifoliumF.Muell. [1]

Last updated May 03, 2019

Ptilotus rotundifolius(F.Muell.) F.Muell. is a pink-flowered species of shrub in the genus Ptilotus R.Br. (Amaranthaceae). It is commonly known as "royal mulla mulla". It is native to the Gascoyne, Murchison and Pilbara IBRA regions of Western Australia.^[2]

A shrub or bush is a small- to medium-sized woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple stems and shorter height, and are usually under 6 m (20 ft) tall. Plants of many species may grow either into shrubs or trees, depending on their growing conditions. Small, low shrubs, generally less than 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, such as lavender, periwinkle and most small garden varieties of rose, are often termed "subshrubs".

Ptilotus R.Br. is a genus of approximately 120 species of annual and perennial herbs and shrubs in the family Amaranthaceae. All species are native to mainland Australia, although one species, Ptilotus spathulatus (R.Br.) Poir., also occurs in Tasmania and another, Ptilotus conicus R.Br., in Malesia on the islands of Flores and Timor. Most of the diversity is in Western Australia, particularly in the Pilbara. Common names for species in this genus include mulla mulla, foxtails, pussy tails and lamb's tails. The genus was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae in 1810. In family-level phylogenetic studies, Ptilotus has been placed within a clade informally known as the 'aervoids'. It has been resolved as monophyletic and is closely related to Aerva Forssk. An interactive key to the species of Ptilotus is available at KeyBase.

Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus Amaranthus. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it the most species-rich lineage within its parent order, Caryophyllales.

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Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, native to rainforest and more open habitats in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Sulawesi and other Indonesian islands east of the Wallace Line. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville. The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 50 cm (20 in) tall to trees 35 m (115 ft) tall. Common names include grevillea, spider flower, silky oak and toothbrush plant. Closely related to the genus Hakea, the genus gives its name to the subfamily Grevilleoideae.

Hakea is a genus of about 150 species of plants in the Family Proteaceae and are endemic to Australia. They are shrubs or small trees with leaves that are sometimes flat, otherwise circular in cross section in which case they are sometimes divided. The flowers are usually arranged in groups in leaf axils and resemble those of other genera, especially Grevillea. Hakeas have woody fruit which distinguishes them from grevilleas which have non-woody fruit which release the seeds as they mature. Hakeas are found in every state of Australia with the highest species diversity being found in the south west of Western Australia.

Livistona is a genus of palms, native to southern, southeastern and eastern Asia, Australasia, and the Horn of Africa. They are fan palms, the leaves with an armed petiole terminating in a rounded, costapalmate fan of numerous leaflets.

Baeckea is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. There are about 75 species, of which 70 are endemic to Australia; the others are distributed in New Caledonia and Southeast Asia.

Mirbelia is a plant genus belonging to the Fabaceae family. It is endemic to Australia, occurring in every mainland state except South Australia.

Calytrix is a genus of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae described as a genus in 1806. They are commonly known as starflowers. Calytrix are endemic to Australia, occurring in 4 of the 7 regions.

<i>Eucalyptus oleosa</i> species of plant

Eucalyptus oleosa, commonly known as the red mallee, glossy-leaved red mallee, acorn mallee, oil mallee or giant mallee. is a native tree of Australia The leaves were once harvested for the production of cineole based eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus cneorifolia is now the predominant strain used in production due to a higher oil content in new growth.

Ptilotus macrocephalus is a native Australian perennial herb growing up to 50 centimetres (20 in) high. It is found across all Australian mainland states, mainly in the drier inland areas. P. macrocephalus has green to white ovoid flower heads.

Gonocarpus (raspwort) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Haloragaceae. The species, which are native to Australia, New Zealand and Malesia, include:

Trymalium is a genus of shrubs or trees in the family Rhamnaceae. The species are endemic to Western Australia but for one, Trymalium wayi, that occurs in South Australia. They are found in forest and semiarid woodland and shrubland of the kwongan in southwest Australia, and the outlying species of South Australia is found on rocky slopes, notably at the Mount Lofty and Flinders Ranges.

Ptilotus exaltusNees, also commonly known as the pink mulla mulla or tall mulla mulla, is one of the largest mulla mullas. The species is endemic to much of mainland Australia.

Atractocarpus is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. Its members are commonly known as native gardenias in Australia. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek terms atractos "spindle", and karpos "fruit", from the spindle-shaped fruit of the type species.

Ptilotus nobilis, commonly known as yellow tails, is an annual or short-lived perennial herb of the family Amaranthaceae. It is found in arid regions of South Australia, southern and eastern Northern Territory, western Queensland and western New South Wales.

Ptilotus manglesii, commonly known as pom poms is a herb native to Western Australia. The Noongar name for the plant is mulla mulla.

Ptilotus obovatus(Gaudich.) F.Muell. is a shrub in the genus Ptilotus R.Br. that occurs in throughout arid Australia. It is commonly known as cotton bush.

Ptilotus spathulatus (R.Br.) Poir. (pussy tails) is a species of perennial herbs in the genus Ptilotus, native to Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. It is the only species of Ptilotus that occurs in Tasmania.

References

↑ F.J.H von Mueller (1868). "Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae". 6: 230. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
↑ "Ptilotus rotundifolius (F.Muell.) F.Muell. Royal Mulla Mulla". FloraBase. Western Australian Herbarium. 9 May 1996. Retrieved 28 January 2017.

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[rb-1] F.J.H von Mueller (1868). "Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae". 6: 230. Retrieved 2017-01-28.

[fb-2] "Ptilotus rotundifolius (F.Muell.) F.Muell. Royal Mulla Mulla". FloraBase. Western Australian Herbarium. 9 May 1996. Retrieved 28 January 2017.