Maireana pentatropis
(Tate) Paul G.Wilson Erect Mallee BluebushSomewhat glaucous shrub to c. 60 cm high; branches ascending, white-woolly, with tufts of longer hairs in axils. Leaves alternate, subterete, 7–15 mm long, fleshy, glabrous, blackening with age and persisting on older stems. Flowers bisexual, margins of perianth lobes densely woolly, otherwise glabrous. Fruiting perianth 8–12 mm diam., glabrous except for margins of perianth lobes which are enlarged and somewhat raised; tube turbinate, c. 3 mm diam. at apex, solid toward base, with 3–5 fan-shaped to semicircular vertical wings attached in lower half to third, not united with circular horizontal wing; radicular slit present on horizontal wing. Fruits mostly Aug.–Nov.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VRiv, MSB, RobP, MuF, GipP. Also WA, NT, SA, NSW. Occurs on flats, lake margins and low dunes in far north-western Victoria and locally rather common. Largely co-extensive with Maireana turbinata.
Walsh, N.G. (1996). Chenopodiaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae, pp. 129–199. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
