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Ptilotus

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Ptilotus
Ptilotus rotundifolius (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Amaranthoideae
Genus: Ptilotus
R.Br.[1]
Species[1]

125; see List of Ptilotus species

Synonyms[1]
  • Arthrotrichum F.Muell. (1863), not validly publ.
  • Dipteranthemum F.Muell. (1884)
  • Gomotriche Turcz. (1849)
  • Goniotriche Turcz. (1852)
  • Hemisteirus F.Muell. (1853)
  • Kelita A.R.Bean (2010)
  • Trichinium R.Br. (1810)

Ptilotus is a genus of approximately 125 species of flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae, and is endemic to Australia, apart from Ptilotus conicus[2] that also occurs in Malesia. Plants in the genus Ptilotus are annual or perennial herbs or shrubs with usually hairy spikes of compact spherical, oval or cylindrical flowers.

Description

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Plants in the genus Ptilotus are annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs, many covered with soft hairs. The leaves are arranged alternately, sometimes on branches and/or in a rosette at the base. The flowers are bisexual and borne in compact spherical to oval or cylindrical spikes, each flower with a membranous bract and two bracteoles at the base. There are five, equal, hairy, linear tepals and five stamens, sometimes up to three stamens reduced to sterile staminodes, fused into a cap surrounding the ovary. The fruit is a nut or utricle, surrounded by the remains of the perianth.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy

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The genus Ptilotus was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae.[6][7] The genus name means 'winged', particularly 'soft winged'.[8]

In family-level phylogenetic studies, Ptilotus has been placed within a clade informally known as the 'aervoids'.[9] It has been resolved as monophyletic and is closely related to Aerva Forssk.[10][11]

Species list

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Distribution

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Most species of Ptilotus occur in arid parts of Western Australia,[5][10][12] but there are species in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.[13]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Ptilotus R.Br. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Ptilotus conicus". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. ^ Walsh, Neville G.; Stajsic, Val. "Ptilotus". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  4. ^ Jacobs, Surrey W.F.L.; Lapinpuro, L. "Ptilotus". Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Ptilotus". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. ^ "Ptilotus". APNI. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  7. ^ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van-Diemen. London: Typis R. Taylor et socii. p. 415. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  8. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780958034180.
  9. ^ Müller, K.; Borsch, T. (2005). "Phylogenetics of Amaranthaceae based on matK/trnK sequence data: Evidence from parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian analyses". Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 92: 66–102.
  10. ^ a b Hammer, Timothy A.; Davis, Robert W.; Thiele, Kevin R. (2015). "A molecular framework phylogeny for Ptilotus (Amaranthaceae): Evidence for the rapid diversification of an arid Australian genus". Taxon. 64 (2): 272–285. doi:10.12705/642.6.
  11. ^ Sage, R.F.; Sage, T.L.; Pearcy, R.W.; Borsch, T. (2007). "The taxonomic distribution of C4 photosynthesis in Amaranthaceae sensu stricto". Am. J. Bot. 94 (12): 1992–2003. doi:10.3732/ajb.94.12.1992. PMID 21636394.
  12. ^ "Ptilotus occurrence records". Australia's Virtual Herbarium. Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
  13. ^ "Ptilotus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 December 2024.