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 exaltatus Nees
Tall Mulla Mulla

Reference
Lehm., Pl.Preiss. [J.G.C.Lehmann] 1:630 (1845)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Erect annual, herb, 0.1-1.2 m high. Fl. pink-purple, Apr to Nov. Clay, loam. Variety of habitats.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 31 August 1999
Image

Scientific Description

Perennial herbs or annuals, stems single or several, more or less erect, persistently hairy, glabrescent or glabrous, with verticillate hairs. Leaves present, (8-)10-120(-160) mm long, (3-)5-60(-65) mm wide, persistently hairy or glabrescent, with verticillate hairs; basal rosette present; cauline leaves alternate. Spikes pink, ovoid or cylindrical, solitary, with densely arranged flowers. Bracts (7-)7.7-10(-14) mm long, coloured, glabrous or hairy, awned or mucronate, with an obscure midrib. Bracteoles (7-)10-11(-13) mm long, coloured or colourless, hairy, awned or mucronate, with a prominent midrib. Outer tepals 21-28 mm long, not entire. Inner tepals 19.5-24.5 mm long, glabrous within or with a basal tuft of hairs on inner face. Style 10.8 mm long, sigmoid, obliquely fixed to ovary. Distribution: South West, Northern and Eremaean Botanical Region; IBRA regions: Central Kimberley, Dampierland, Northern Kimberley, Ord Victoria Plains, Victoria Bonaparte.

R. Davis, 30 April 2019

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Central Kimberley, Central Ranges, Coolgardie, Dampierland, Gascoyne, Geraldton Sandplains, Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Mallee, Murchison, Northern Kimberley, Nullarbor, Ord Victoria Plain, Pilbara, Tanami, Victoria Bonaparte, Yalgoo.
IBRA Subregions
Ashburton, Augustus, Cape Range, Carlisle, Carnegie, Central, Chichester, Eastern Goldfield, Eastern Murchison, Edel, Fitzroy Trough, Fortescue, Geraldton Hills, Hamersley, Hart, Keep, Lateritic Plain, Mackay, Mann-Musgrave Block, Maralinga, Mardabilla, McLarty, Merredin, Mitchell, Mount Eliza, Pentecost, Pindanland, Purnululu, Roebourne, Rudall, Shield, Southern Cross, South Kimberley Interzone, Tallering, Tanami Desert, Trainor, Western Mallee, Western Murchison, Wooramel.
IMCRA Regions
Kimberley, Ningaloo, Pilbara (nearshore), Pilbara (offshore), Shark Bay.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Ashburton, Broome, Bruce Rock, Carnamah, Carnarvon, Chapman Valley, Coolgardie, Corrigin, Cue, Cunderdin, Dalwallinu, Derby-West Kimberley, Dundas, East Pilbara, Exmouth, Greater Geraldton, Halls Creek, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha, Kondinin, Koorda, Laverton, Leonora, Meekatharra, Menzies, Mingenew, Morawa, Mount Magnet, Mount Marshall, Mukinbudin, Murchison, Narembeen, Ngaanyatjarraku, Northampton, Perenjori, Port Hedland, Sandstone, Shark Bay, Trayning, Upper Gascoyne, Westonia, Wiluna, Wyalkatchem, Wyndham-East Kimberley, Yalgoo, Yilgarn.