Philotheca salsolifolia (Sm.) Druce APNI* Description: Erect heath-like shrub, 0.5–2 m high, glabrous or minutely pubescent.
Leaves crowded to well-spaced, linear or ± terete, mostly 0.3–1.5 cm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, thick, apex acute or rounded, glabrous or sparsely ciliate.
Flowers solitary or 2 or 3 together. Sepals broad-triangular, 1–1.5 mm long. Petals lanceolate, 6–12 mm long, pink to purple, darker below along the midline, both surfaces minutely hoary-pubescent except for the broad glabrous midline below. Stamens with filaments fused in basal half; filaments densely pilose, upper hairs spreading, surrounding but not concealing the anthers; anthers glabrous.
Cocci oblong, compressed, 5–6 mm long, apiculate.
Flowering: Flowers September–December
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread, in heath on rocky or sandy sites, inland on rocky outcrops in heath and sclerophyll forest and woodland communities, chiefly north from Bega district to near Yamba, and inland to West Wyalong and the Pilliga Scrub.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, NWP
Text by P.H. Weston & G.J.Harden Taxon concept:
| Key to the subspecies | |
1 | Pedicels 1–2 mm long, turbinate; leaves crowded to well-spaced, semiterete, thick, blunt and 0.3–0.5 cm long or ± terete, slender, acute and 1–1.5 cm long, glabrous or sparsely ciliate; cocci almost erect | subsp. salsolifolia |
| Pedicels 6–9 mm long, slender; leaves crowded, 0.8–1.5 cm long, flattened on upper surface, linear, acute, glabrous; cocci spreading | subsp. pedicellata |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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