Ptilotus eremita
| Ptilotus eremita | |
|---|---|
| About 50 km (31 mi) north-east of Wubin | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Ptilotus |
| Species: | P. eremita
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ptilotus eremita | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Ptilotus eremita is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a sometimes prostrate, anual herb with hairy leaves on the stems and at the base of the plant and green or yellow, oval or cylindrical spikes of flowers.
Description
Ptilotus eremita is an erect, sometimes prostrate annual herb and has several stems. Leaves on the stem and in the rosette at the base of the plant are 4–15 mm (0.16–0.59 in) long and 0.8–5 mm (0.031–0.197 in) wide. The flowers are green or yellow, borne in oval to cylindrical heads. There are glabrous, colourless bracts 3.5–3.6 mm (0.14–0.14 in) long and bracteoles 4.8–5 mm (0.19–0.20 in) long. The outer tepals are 7.3–7.5 mm (0.29–0.30 in) long and the inner tepals 7.0–7.2 mm (0.28–0.28 in) with a tuft of hairs on the inner surface. The style is 2.0–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long and fixed to the side of the ovary.[2]
Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 1899 by Spencer Le Marchant Moore who gave it the name Trichinium eremita in Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.[3] In 2018, and Robert Davis and Timothy Hammer transferred the species to Ptilotus as P. eremita in Australian Systematic Botany.[4] The specific epithet (eremita) means a close connection with desert, in other words 'desert dweller'.[5]
Distribution
This species of Ptilotus is widely distributed in the Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains, Mallee, Murchison, Swan Coastal Plain and Yalgoo bioregions of south-western Western Australia[2]
Conservation status
Ptilotus eremita is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Ptilotus eremita". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ptilotus eremita". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Trichinium eremita". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ "Ptilotus eremita". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 192. ISBN 9780958034180.