Ptilotus aristatus
| Ptilotus aristatus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Ptilotus |
| Species: | P. aristatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ptilotus aristatus Benl[1]
| |
Ptilotus aristatus, commonly known as pink pussy-tail,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to Central Australia. It is an annual or perennial herb with sessile, spatula-shaped or egg-shaped leaves at the base of the plant, and egg-shaped, narrowly egg-shaped or elliptic stem leaves and spikes of pink to pinkish-purple flowers.
Description
Ptilotus aristatus is an annual or perennial herb that typically grows up to 40 cm (16 in) high. The leaves at the base of the plant are sessile, hairy, spatula-shaped or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 12–110 mm (0.47–4.33 in) long, 3–30 mm (0.12–1.18 in) wide. The leaves on the stems are egg-shaped, narrowly egg-shaped or elliptic, 7–52 mm (0.28–2.05 in) long and 1.3–16 mm (0.051–0.630 in) wide. The flowers are borne in mostly hemispherical or oval spikes 12–60 mm (0.47–2.36 in) long and 9–35 mm (0.35–1.38 in) wide of up to 80 flowers. There are hairy bracts 3.5–8.5 mm (0.14–0.33 in) long and hairy bracteoles mostly 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long with a brown midrib. The tepals are pink to pinkish-purple, the outer tepals 0.5–2.3 mm (0.020–0.091 in) longer than the inner tepals. There are usually two fertile stamens and three staminodes, the ovary is hairy and the style is 1.6–4.0 mm (0.063–0.157 in) long. Flowering occurs in most months, in response to adequate rainfall.[3]
Taxonomy
Ptilotus aristatus was first formally described in 1961 by Gerhard Benl in the journal Mitteilungen der Botanischen Staatssammlung Munchen from specimens collected near Charlotte Waters in 1939.[4][5] The specific epithet (aristatus) means 'aristate'.[6]
Two subspecies of Ptilotus aristatus have been described in 2010 in the Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens,[3] and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:
- Ptilotus aristatus Benl subsp. aristatus[7] has a perianth more than 10 mm (0.39 in) long, bracts and bracteoles 5–8.5 mm (0.20–0.33 in) and a style 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long.[3]
- Ptilotus aristatus subsp. micranthus Albr. & Lally[8] has a perianth 7.5–10 mm (0.30–0.39 in) long, bracts and bracteoles 3.5–5.0 mm (0.14–0.20 in) and a style 1.6–2.2 mm (0.063–0.087 in) long.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Ptilotus aristatus subsp. aristatus occurs in the Northern Territory near the South Australian border and as far south as the Evelyn Downs station, where it grows in open vegetation on gibber plains and slopes, sometimes on nearby floodouts. Subspecies micranthus is restricted to a relatively small area of the Northern Territory in the Burt Plain bioregion, about 100 km (62 mi) west-north-west of Alice Springs, where it grows on cracking clay plain.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "Ptilotus aristatus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Ptilotus aristatus ssp. aristatus". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Albrecht, David Edward; Lally, Terena R. (2010). "A reappraisal of Ptilotus aristatus and P. blackii (Amaranthaceae)". Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 24: 11–13. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Ptilotus aristatus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Benl, Gerhard (1961). "Zwei neue Ptilotus - Arten". Mitteilungen der Botanischen Staatssammlung Munchen. 4: 79–81. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 137. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ "Ptilotus aristatus subsp. aristatus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
- ^ "Ptilotus aristatus subsp. micranthus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 25 January 2025.