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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system and census were set to read-only mode on 1 October 2025. Taxonomic updates published since this time are not being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or Western Australia’s taxonomic names census (Nomos). Conservation listings displayed on Florabase may also be out of date. Please refer to DBCA’s Threatened species and communities webpage for the most recent Threatened and Priority Flora List, noting that recent taxonomic updates are similarly not included. Our database migration is moving to a staging phase. We thank you for your patience as we ensure the integrity of our biodiversity data, develop new workflows, and train staff to use the new systems. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

The notice period started at 12:00 pm on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Friday, 1 January 2027 +08:00.

Penicillus nodulosus (J.V.Lamour.) Blainv.

Reference
Dict.Sci.Nat. [F. Cuvier] 60:516 (1830)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current
Image

Scientific Description

Habit and structure. Thallus to 6–7 cm in height, gray green, heavily calcified, anchored by a large particle-binding holdfast 2–4 cm long, with a terete stipe topped by a capitulum of dichotomously divided siphons. Stipe 1–3 cm long, 1–8 mm in diameter, composed of siphons 180–200 µm in diameter bearing much-branched cervicorn lateral branches that form a solid cortex; capitulum hemispherical, generally 2–5 cm in diameter and composed of filaments 180–300 µm in diameter, these dichotomously divided and divaricate, typically with deep and shallow constrictions forming short moniliform segments. Filaments lightly calcified externally, the calcification regularly perforated with small round to oval holes 10–30 µm wide.

Reproduction. Not observed.

Distribution. Western, northern and eastern Australia, in warm waters; Indonesia. In W. Aust., recorded from Rottnest I. in the south to the Dampier Archipelago, but most likely occurring further north.

Habitat. Plants grow in sand, generally in shallow water and are often locally common.

John Huisman & Cheryl Parker, 3 August 2021

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Carnarvon, Pilbara, Swan Coastal Plain, Yalgoo.
IBRA Subregions
Cape Range, Edel, Perth, Roebourne, Wooramel.
IMCRA Regions
Abrolhos Islands, Central West Coast, Ningaloo, Pilbara (nearshore), Pilbara (offshore), Shark Bay.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Ashburton, Carnarvon, Coorow, Dandaragan, Exmouth, Greater Geraldton, Irwin, Karratha, Rockingham, Shark Bay.