Ptilotus exaltatus

Annual or short-lived perennial herb to c. 1 m high, arising from a fleshy, simple or little-branched taproot. Stems villous to glabrescent. Basal leaves lanceolate, oblanceolate or spathulate, shortly attenuate at base, the largest 50–120 mm long, 20–50 mm wide, glabrous to villous, with a terminal mucro 1–3 mm long, margins sometimes undulate; stem leaves similar but smaller. Spike erect, usually cylindrical, (5–)15–55(–80) mm long, 30–50 mm diam., dense, pink to mauve; bract ovate, 5–10 mm long, with mucro c. 0.5 mm long; bracteoles broad-ovate, equal to or slightly exceeding bract; perianth 17–22 mm long; tepals united at base into a hardened cup c. 2 mm long, otherwise free, outer surface with long, silky hairs, overlying a denser layer of short barbed hairs that extend to the base (where slightly longer), inner surface glabrous except for a loose woolly tuft at base; fertile stamens 3; ovary supported on stipe as long as basal cup of perianth, sparsely pubescent at summit, style 11.5–15 mm long, eccentric to central. Flowers Oct.–Jan.