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The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system, WAHerb, and DBCA’s flora taxonomic names application, WACensus, have been set to read-only mode since 1 October 2025. Recent taxonomic changes are not currently being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or the census. Due to the rapidly approaching holiday season and associated agency and facility soft closures, along with the substantial work involved in data mapping, cleaning, and verification, the migration to the new collection management software is not expected to occur before 1 March 2026, when a further update will be provided. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

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Philotheca spicata (A.Rich.) Paul G.Wilson
Pepper and Salt

Reference
Nuytsia 12(2):264 (1998)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Slender, erect shrub, 0.2-0.6(-1.2) m high. Fl. pink-purple-blue/white, Jun to Nov. Variety of soils.

Grazyna Paczkowska, Descriptive Catalogue, 21 August 1996
Image

Scientific Description

Shrub, spines absent; branchlets smooth, without distinct raised glands, +/- cylindrical in cross-section, glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple, 6-20 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, flat, the margins recurved, smooth, without distinct raised glands, glabrous. Flowers in terminal, loose clusters (cymes or panicles); pedicels 4-6 mm long; calyx present, 1.5-2 mm long, verrucose (warty), glabrous; corolla pink, purple, white or cream or blue, petals five, 4-5 mm long, imbricate (overlapping), free, glabrous; stamens twice as many as petals, 2-2.5 mm long, smooth, ciliate (with a marginal fringe of hairs); anthers 0.5 mm long, with an appendage. Flowers in June, July, August, September, October and November. Occurs in the South-West Botanical Province, in the Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest, Warren, Swan Coastal Plain and Geraldton IBRA region(s).

C. Hollister and K.R. Thiele, 14 November 2023

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain, Warren.
IBRA Subregions
Dandaragan Plateau, Katanning, Lesueur Sandplain, Merredin, Northern Jarrah Forest, Perth, Southern Jarrah Forest, Warren.
IMCRA Regions
Central West Coast, Leeuwin-Naturaliste.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Armadale, Augusta Margaret River, Bayswater, Beverley, Boyup Brook, Bunbury, Busselton, Canning, Capel, Carnamah, Chittering, Cockburn, Collie, Coorow, Dandaragan, Dardanup, Donnybrook-Balingup, Gingin, Gosnells, Harvey, Joondalup, Kalamunda, Kwinana, Mandurah, Manjimup, Melville, Mundaring, Murray, Nannup, Nedlands, Northam, Perth, Quairading, Rockingham, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, South Perth, Stirling, Swan, Three Springs, Toodyay, Victoria Park, Wandering, Wanneroo, Waroona.