Maireana brevifolia

Maireana brevifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Camphorosmoideae
Genus: Maireana
Species: M. brevifolia
Binomial name
Maireana brevifolia
(R.Br.) Paul G.Wilson
Synonyms
  • Enchylaena tamariscina (Lindl.) Druce
  • Kochia brevifolia R.Br
  • Kochia tamariscina (Lindl.) J.M.Black

Maireana brevifolia is a shrub that is native to Australia and naturalised in South Africa, the Middle East and the Canary Islands.[1] Common names in Australia include cotton bush, eastern cotton-bush, short-leaf bluebush, small-leaf bluebush and yanga bush.[2][2][3] It grows to between 0.2 and 1 metre high.[4] The flower-like fruits are up to 9 mm in diameter and comprise 5 paper-thin wings.[5] It is one of the first species to appear in disturbed saline habitats.[4]

It has been used as a dry-season fodder plant in South Africa[1] and Namibia where it is known as Australian bluebush.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 L. Mucina, D. A. Snijman; Snijman (2011). "Maireana brevifolia (Chenopodiaceae: Camphorosmeae), a new naturalized alien plant species in South Africa". Bothalia - African Biodiversity & Conservation. 41 (2): 235–238. doi:10.4102/abc.v41i2.55.
  2. 1 2 "Maireana brevifolia". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  3. "Maireana brevifolia". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Maireana brevifolia". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  5. Wild Plants of Victoria (database). Viridans Biological Databases & Department of Sustainability and Environment. 2009.
  6. Rothauge, Axel (25 February 2014). "Staying afloat during a drought". The Namibian.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/29/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.