// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Ptilotus stipitatus say? "I'm a little prickly.
| Ptilotus stipitatus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Ptilotus |
| Species: | P. stipitatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ptilotus stipitatus | |
Ptilotus stipitatus is a species of flowering plant of the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to northern inland Western Australia. It is an erect, branched shrub with almost glabrous stems, narrowly egg-shaped leaves and solitary spikes of magenta or red flowers.
Description
[edit]Ptilotus stipitatus is an erect, branched shrub that typically grows to a height of 20–60 cm (7.9–23.6 in), its stems mostly glabrous and more or less covered with a powdery bloom when young. Its leaves are mostly narrowly lance-shaped, 5–35 mm (0.20–1.38 in) long and 1.5–7 mm (0.059–0.276 in) wide tapering to an undefined petiole. The flowers are borne in a magenta or red spike on the ends of branches, the spikes 12–18 mm (0.47–0.71 in) long and 20–22 mm (0.79–0.87 in) wide with about 40 flowers. The bracts are egg-shaped, 6.3–7.0 mm (0.25–0.28 in) long and 2.7–3.2 mm (0.11–0.13 in) wide and the bracteoles broadly egg-shaped, 4.5–5.3 mm (0.18–0.21 in) long and 3.3–3.8 mm (0.13–0.15 in) wide. The tepals are lance-shaped, the outer tepals 9.5–11 mm (0.37–0.43 in) long, and the inner tepals 9–10.3 mm (0.35–0.41 in) long and there are five stamens. The style is thread-like, 2.7–3.4 mm (0.11–0.13 in) long and fixed to the side of the club-shaped ovary, 3.0–4.7 mm (0.12–0.19 in) long. The seeds are glossy black and about 1.3 mm (0.051 in) long.[2][3]
Taxonomy
[edit]Ptilotus stipitatus was first formally described in 1980 by Gerhard Benl in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected 5 mi (8.0 km) north of Jigalong by Robert Dunlop Royce in 1947.[2][4] The specific epithet (stipitatus) means stipitate, referring to the ovary.[5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]This species of Ptilotus grows in sandy soil on sand dunes in the Gascoyne, Gibson Desert, Great Victoria Desert and Little Sandy Desert bioregions of inland northern Western Australia.[3]
Conservation status
[edit]Ptilotus stipitatus is listed as 'not threatened' by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Ptilotus stipitatus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- 1 2 Benl, Gerhard (1980). "Five new taxa of Ptilotus (Amaranthaceae) from Western Australia". Nuytsia. 3 (2): 165–169. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Ptilotus stipitatus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ↑ "Ptilotus stipitatus". APNI. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
- ↑ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 325. ISBN 9780645629538.