Ptilotus

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

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

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

Main article: List of Ptilotus species

Distribution

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]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ptilotus.
  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.