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.

Ptilotus beardii Benl
Low Mulla Mulla

Reference
Nuytsia 2:345-349 (1979)
Conservation Code
Priority Three
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Compact, perennial shrub, 0.15-0.5 m high, leaves linear, 2-10 mm long, 0.5-3 mm wide; spike pink, hemispherical, 15-30 mm long, 20-40 mm wide, 5-8 -flowered; tepals 14-17 mm long; 2 fertile stamens, staminodes 3; ovary glabrous; style slightly curved, 9.9-11.1 mm long, eccentrically fixed to ovary. Fl. pink-red, Aug to Oct. Clayey soils. Saline flats, low breakaways.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 23 June 2008
Image

Scientific Description

Shrubs, stems single, more or less erect, glabrescent, with verticillate hairs. Leaves present, 2-10 mm long, 0.5-3 mm wide, glabrescent, with verticillate hairs; basal rosette absent; cauline leaves alternate. Spikes pink or magenta, hemispherical, solitary, with densely arranged flowers. Bracts 3.7-4.2 mm long, coloured, hairy, awned or mucronate, with a prominent midrib. Bracteoles 5.5-6.5 mm long, coloured, glabrous or hairy, awned or mucronate, with a prominent midrib. Outer tepals 15.2-16.8 mm long, entire. Inner tepals 13.2-15.8 mm long, with a basal tuft of hairs on inner face. Style 9.9-11.1 mm long, curved, obliquely fixed to ovary. Distribution: Eremaean Botanical Region; IBRA regions: Murchison, Yalgoo.

R. Davis, 30 April 2019

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Murchison, Yalgoo.
IBRA Subregions
Eastern Murchison, Tallering, Western Murchison.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Cue, Mount Magnet, Murchison.