Maireana eriantha
| Maireana eriantha | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Maireana |
| Species: | M. eriantha
|
| Binomial name | |
| Maireana eriantha | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Maireana eriantha, commonly known as woolly bluebush,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Chenopodiaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a mainly a dioecious shrub with hairy branches, fleshy, very narrowly oblong leaves, flowers arranged singly or in pairs, and a silky-woolly fruiting perianth with a thin-walled tube with leathery wings.
Description
Maireana eriantha is an erect, dioecious shrub that grows to a height of up to 50 cm (20 in), its branches covered with woolly hairs. Its leaves are fleshy, very narrowly oblong, three-sided in cross-section, 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) long, 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) wide and densely covered with silky hairs. The flowers are arranged singly or in pairs in leaf axils. The fruiting perianth is silky-woolly, forming a soft ball about 10 mm (0.39 in) in diameter, the tube broadly top-shaped to cup-shaped, about 3 mm (0.12 in) high, with leathery wings divided into 5 lobes.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy
This species was first described in 1859 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Kochia eriantha in the Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Government.[6] In 1975, Paul G. Wilson transferred the species to Maireana as M. eriantha in the journal Nuytsia.[3][7] The specific epithet (eriantha) means 'wool-flowered'.[8]
Distribution and habitat
Woolly bluebush mainly grows on rocky hills and plains and is common north of Port Augusta in South Australia[2][5] and in adjacent areas of Queensland, the Northern Territory[9] and New South Wales.[4]
Conservation status
Maireana eriantha is listed as "near threatened" under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act[9] but as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Maireana eriantha". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Wilson, Paul G. "Maireana eriantha". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ a b Wilson, Paul G. (1975). "A Taxonomic Revision of the genus Maireana (Chenopodiaceae)". Nuytsia. 2 (1): 19–20. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Surrey W.L. "Maireana eriantha". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Maireana eriantha". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "Kochia eriantha". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "Maireana eriantha". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ a b "Maireana eriantha". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "Taxon - Maireana eriantha". Queensland Government WildNet. Retrieved 26 June 2025.