Skip to main content

Service Notice

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.

The notice period started at 9:45 am on Friday, 12 December 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Monday, 2 March 2026 +08:00.

Advanced Search

Ptilotus arthrolasius F.Muell.

Reference
Fragm. (Mueller) 6:232-233 (1868)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Compact, much-branched perennial, herb or shrub, 0.2-0.75(-2) m high, leaves oblong-lanceolate, 5-85mm long, 1.5-12mm wide; spike maroon-pink, cylindrical to hemispherical, 8-55mm long, 8-17mm wide; bract 3.3-3.8mm long; bracteole 3.3-3.6mm long; tepals 5.3-6.2mm long, apex acuminate; fertile stamens 5; style straight, 1.8-2.1mm long, centrally fixed to ovary. Fl. white-pink/red/purple, Apr to Oct. Red sand, pebbly red loam. Sandplains & sand dunes.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 12 May 2008
Image

Scientific Description

Shrubs or perennial herbs, stems several, more or less erect, persistently hairy, with nodose hairs. Leaves present, 5-85 mm long, 1.5-12 mm wide, glabrescent, with dendritic hairs; basal rosette absent; cauline leaves alternate. Spikes green or pink, cylindrical or hemispherical, clustered, with densely arranged flowers. Bracts 3.3-3.8 mm long, colourless, hairy, not awned or mucronate, with an obscure midrib. Bracteoles 3.3-3.6 mm long, colourless, hairy, not awned or mucronate, with an obscure midrib. Outer tepals 5.3-6.2 mm long, entire. Inner tepals 4.8-5.8 mm long, glabrous within. Style 1.8-2.1 mm long, straight, centrally fixed to ovary. Seeds 1.5-1.7 mm long, dull, black. Distribution: Northern and Eremaean Botanical Region; IBRA regions: Dampierland, Ord Victoria Plains.

R. Davis, 30 April 2019

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Carnarvon, Central Ranges, Dampierland, Gascoyne, Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Murchison, Ord Victoria Plain, Pilbara, Tanami.
IBRA Subregions
Ashburton, Cape Range, Chichester, Dune Field, Eastern Murchison, Fitzroy Trough, Hamersley, Lateritic Plain, Mackay, Mann-Musgrave Block, McLarty, Pindanland, Roebourne, Rudall, South Kimberley Interzone, Tanami Desert, Trainor, Wooramel.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Ashburton, Broome, Carnarvon, Derby-West Kimberley, East Pilbara, Exmouth, Halls Creek, Meekatharra, Ngaanyatjarraku, Port Hedland, Upper Gascoyne, Wiluna.