Maireana ovata
| Maireana ovata | |
|---|---|
| Near Fowlers Gap | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Maireana |
| Species: | M. ovata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Maireana ovata (Ising) Paul G. Wilson[1]
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Kochia ovata Ising | |
Maireana ovata is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to central Australia. It is a small, densely branched shrub with densely woolly branches, narrowly egg-shaped to broadly triangular leaves, bisexual flowers and a fruiting perianth with a translucent wing.
Description
Maireana ovata is a densely branched shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 30 cm (12 in) and has densely woolly branches. The leaves are arranged alternately, narrowly egg-shaped to broadly triangular, mostly 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long and loosely covered with woolly hairs. The flowers are bisexual, the fruiting perianth small and pale yellow when dry, with a hemispherical tube 1 mm (0.039 in) high and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) in diameter. The wing is translucent, 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) in diameter.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy
This species was first formally described in 1955 by Ernest Horace Ising, who gave it the name Kochia ovata in the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia from specimens he collected at Evelyn Downs, 90 mi (140 km) south-east of Oodnadatta in 1952.[5][6] In 1975, Paul G. Wilson transferred the species to Maireana as M. ovata in the journal Nuytsia.[7] The specific epithet (ovata) means 'ovate'.[8]
Distribution and habitat
Maireana ovata is found in central Australia where it grows on sandy rises and the eroded slopes of stony hills in the south of the Northern Territory,[9] central South Australia[10] and the Western Plains of New South Wales.[4]
Conservation status
Maireana ovata is listed as "near threatened" under the Northern Territory Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Maireana ovata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Paul G. (1975). "A Taxonomic Revision of the genus Maireana (Chenopodiaceae)". Nuytsia. 2 (1): 48. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Paul G. "Maireana ovata". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Surrey Wilfrid Laurance. "Maireana ovata". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Kochia ovata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ Ising, Ernest Horace (1955). "Notes on the Flora of South Australia No. 6(1)". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. 78: 112–113. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Maireana ovata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 277. ISBN 9780645629538.
- ^ a b "Maireana ovata". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Maireana ovata". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 24 August 2025.