Ptilotus carinatus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ptilotus carinatus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Ptilotus |
| Species: | P. carinatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ptilotus carinatus | |

Ptilotus carinatus is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to the north of Western Australia. It is a short-lived, prostrate to low-lying annual herb with egg-shaped leaves and spikes of purple-mauve or magenta-coloured flowers.
Ptilotus carinatus is a short-lived, annual herb that typically grows to a height of 10–70 cm (3.9–27.6 in). Its leaves are egg-shaped, 4–130 mm (0.16–5.12 in) long and 1–48 mm (0.039–1.890 in) wide. The flowers are borne in oval or cylindrical spikes 10–60 mm (0.39–2.36 in) long and 12–20 mm (0.47–0.79 in) wide with densely arranged flowers. There are hairy bracts 3.8–4.9 mm (0.15–0.19 in) long and hairy bracteoles 4.0–5.6 mm (0.16–0.22 in) long. The outer tepals are 7.7–8.3 mm (0.30–0.33 in) long and the inner tepals are 6.6–7.7 mm (0.26–0.30 in) long. There are two fertile stamens, three staminode, and the ovary is hairy with a curved style 1.9–2.6 mm (0.075–0.102 in) long. Flowering occurs from April to October.[2]
Taxonomy
Ptilotus carinatus was first formally described in 1958 by Gerhard Benl in Mitteilungen der Botanischen Staatssammlung Munchen from specimens collected in Wittenoom Gorge in 1952.[3][4]