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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 fusiformis (R.Br.) Poir.

Reference
Lam., Encycl. Suppl.4:619 (1816)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Erect to spreading annual or perennial, herb, 0.3-0.6 m high. Fl. green-yellow-cream, Jan to Nov. Sand, clay, stony soils.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 31 August 1999
Image

Scientific Description

Perennial herbs or annuals, stems single, more or less erect, glabrous. Leaves present, (5-)10-60(-80) mm long, 0.3-0.8(-2) mm wide, glabrous; basal rosette absent or present; cauline leaves alternate. Spikes green or yellow, ovoid, cylindrical, hemispherical or spherical, solitary, with densely arranged flowers. Bracts (1.2-)1.5-1.7(-2.8) mm long, colourless, glabrous, not awned or mucronate, with an obscure midrib. Bracteoles 2.2-2.4(-5) mm long, colourless, glabrous, not awned or mucronate, with an obscure midrib. Outer tepals 6-9(-16) mm long, entire. Inner tepals 6-9(-15.5) mm long, glabrous within. Style 4.5-5(-12) mm long, sigmoid, obliquely fixed to ovary. Seeds 1.3-1.5(-2.1) mm long. Distribution: 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
Carnarvon, Central Kimberley, Dampierland, Gascoyne, Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Northern Kimberley, Ord Victoria Plain, Pilbara, Tanami, Victoria Bonaparte.
IBRA Subregions
Ashburton, Cape Range, Chichester, Fitzroy Trough, Fortescue, Hamersley, Hart, Keep, Lateritic Plain, Mackay, McLarty, Mitchell, Mount Eliza, Pentecost, Pindanland, Purnululu, Roebourne, South Kimberley Interzone, Tanami Desert.
IMCRA Regions
Kimberley, Pilbara (nearshore).
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Ashburton, Broome, Derby-West Kimberley, East Pilbara, Exmouth, Halls Creek, Karratha, Port Hedland, Upper Gascoyne, Wyndham-East Kimberley.