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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system, WAHerb, and DBCA’s taxonomic names application, WACensus, have been set to read-only mode since 1 October 2025. Recent taxonomic changes are not reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or in the census. We are hoping to be able to reinstate services around December 15; we will provide an update at that time.

The notice period started at 9:00 am on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Monday, 15 December 2025 +08:00.

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Ptilotus chamaecladus Diels

Reference
Bot.Jahrb.Syst. 35:193 (1904)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Prostrate spreading to ascending annual, herb, 0.05-0.6 m high, leaves ovate, 4-130 mm long, 1-48 mm wide; spikes purple-mauve, ovoid, 10-60 mm long, 12-20 mm wide; bract dark brown, 4-5.6 mm long; bracteole 4-5.6 mm; tepals 7.7-8.3 mm long; fertile stamens 2 staminodes 3; ovary hairy; style curved, 1.9-2.6 mm long, eccentrically fixed to ovary. Fl. white-pink-red-other, Jul to Dec. Clay, loam, alluvium. Floodplains, creek beds, claypans.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 5 August 2008

Scientific Description

Annuals, stems several, more or less prostrate, glabrescent, with nodose hairs. Leaves present, 3-55 mm long, 1-15 mm wide, glabrescent or glabrous, with nodose hairs; basal rosette present; cauline leaves alternate. Spikes green, ovoid or cylindrical, solitary or clustered, with densely arranged flowers. Bracts 3-4 mm long, colourless, glabrous or hairy, not awned or mucronate, with an obscure midrib. Bracteoles 3.5-4.6 mm long, colourless, hairy, not awned or mucronate, with an obscure midrib. Outer tepals 5.5-5.9 mm long, entire. Inner tepals 5.4-5.7 mm long, glabrous within. Style 0.3 mm long, straight, centrally fixed to ovary. Seeds (0.9-)1.1-1.2(-1.3) mm long, dull, brown or orange or pale brown. Distribution: South West and Eremaean Botanical Region; IBRA regions: Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Gascoyne, Gibbson Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Murchison, Pilbara, Yalgoo.

R. Davis, 30 April 2019

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Gascoyne, Geraldton Sandplains, Gibson Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Murchison, Pilbara, Yalgoo.
IBRA Subregions
Ashburton, Augustus, Carnegie, Central, Eastern Goldfield, Eastern Murchison, Geraldton Hills, Hamersley, Lateritic Plain, Merredin, Shield, Tallering, Trainor, Western Murchison, Wooramel.
IMCRA Regions
Shark Bay.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Ashburton, Carnarvon, Cue, Greater Geraldton, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Laverton, Leonora, Meekatharra, Menzies, Mount Magnet, Murchison, Northampton, Perenjori, Sandstone, Shark Bay, Upper Gascoyne, Wiluna, Yalgoo.