Ptilotus nobilis
Encyclopedia
Ptilotus nobilis, commonly known as Yellow Tails, Regal Foxtail or Broad Foxtail is a perennial herb of the family Amaranthaceae
. It is found across dry interior areas of mainland Australia
.
The species
was first formally described by English botanist John Lindley
in Thomas Mitchell
's Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia in 1838. Lindley gave it the name Trichium nobile. The species was transferred to the genus Ptilotus
in 1868 by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
in the sixth volume of his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae
. A 2007 genetic study focusing on populations of P. nobilis and the pink-flowered Ptilotus exaltatus
found a very close relationship between the two. The authors proposed formally combining the two species as a single species.
Ptilotus nobilis grows to around 1 metres (39 in) high, with an erect perennial habit. Its spoon-shaped leaves are up to 13 cm (5 in) long, and 5 cm (2 in) wide, arranged alternately along the stems. The flowers rise above the foliage and are cylindrical fuzzy green-yellow spikes up to 22 cm (9 in) high and 5 cm (2 in) wide. Plants studied at Cunnamulla in southwestern Queensland
had both purplish and greenish flowerheads; this was a zone of overlap between the P. nobilis and P. exaltatus populations.
Scattered across inland New South Wales
, it grows on a range of soils, though prefers more sandy than clayey soils. Habitats include Acacia
woodland, mallee
, shrubland and grassland.
P. nobilis var. nobilis is listed as "endangered" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria.
Cultivar
s developed and registered by Dion Harrison and colleagues at the University of Queensland
include 'Passion' (an upright form with purple flowerheads), 'Poise' (a two-toned tan and pink flowerhead), and 'Purity' (upright stems and green-yellow flowerheads).
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
. It is found across dry interior areas of mainland Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
was first formally described by English botanist John Lindley
John Lindley
John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...
in Thomas Mitchell
Thomas Mitchell
Major Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell , surveyor and explorer of south-eastern Australia, was born at Grangemouth in Stirlingshire, Scotland. In 1827 he took up an appointment as Assistant Surveyor General of New South Wales. The following year he became Surveyor General and remained in this...
's Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia in 1838. Lindley gave it the name Trichium nobile. The species was transferred to the genus Ptilotus
Ptilotus
Ptilotus is a genus of mostly perennial herbs or shrubs in the family Amaranthaceae. The species are all native to drier areas of mainland Australia, although one also occurs in Tasmania and another in Malesia on the islands of Flores and Timor. Common names for species in this genus include Mulla...
in 1868 by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
in the sixth volume of his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae
Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae
Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae is a series of papers authored by the Victorian Government botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in which he published many of his approximately 2000 descriptions of new taxa of Australian plants. The papers were issued in 94 parts between 1858 and 1882 and published in...
. A 2007 genetic study focusing on populations of P. nobilis and the pink-flowered Ptilotus exaltatus
Ptilotus exaltatus
Ptilotus exaltus var. exaltatus is one of the largest mulla mullas. This ephemeral in a good season grows to 1.5m tall, though in poor years it may be only a few cm tall. There is a basal rosette of spathulate-oblanceolate smooth leaves up to 10 cm long, the stem leaves being shorter...
found a very close relationship between the two. The authors proposed formally combining the two species as a single species.
Ptilotus nobilis grows to around 1 metres (39 in) high, with an erect perennial habit. Its spoon-shaped leaves are up to 13 cm (5 in) long, and 5 cm (2 in) wide, arranged alternately along the stems. The flowers rise above the foliage and are cylindrical fuzzy green-yellow spikes up to 22 cm (9 in) high and 5 cm (2 in) wide. Plants studied at Cunnamulla in southwestern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
had both purplish and greenish flowerheads; this was a zone of overlap between the P. nobilis and P. exaltatus populations.
Scattered across inland New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, it grows on a range of soils, though prefers more sandy than clayey soils. Habitats include Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
woodland, mallee
Mallee (habit)
Mallee is the growth habit of certain eucalypt species that grow with multiple stems springing from an underground lignotuber, usually to a height of no more than ten metres...
, shrubland and grassland.
P. nobilis var. nobilis is listed as "endangered" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria.
Cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s developed and registered by Dion Harrison and colleagues at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
include 'Passion' (an upright form with purple flowerheads), 'Poise' (a two-toned tan and pink flowerhead), and 'Purity' (upright stems and green-yellow flowerheads).