Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Muehlenbeckia axillaris
Common name
Matted lignum
Family
Polygonaceae
Where found
Woodland, grassy areas, rocky areas, and near streams. Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, and the ACT. Tablelands east and south of the ACT.
Notes
Shrub, prostrate or nearly prostrate, forming wiry mats to 1 m diameter. Roots at the nodes. Perianth sometimes fleshy at the fruiting stage. Stems smooth or slightly flaky or striate, wiry, red-brown becoming grey-brown to blackish with age. Leaves alternating along the stems, 0.3-0.9 cm long, 2–4 mm wide, semicircular to oval, bright green, tips squared off or notched to pointed, base squared off, slightly cordate, or narrowing gradually, margins usually flat and smooth. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers yellow-green to cream, with 5 'petals' each 2–3 mm long, free almost to the base. Flowers in clusters of 1-3 flowers at the bases of the leaves..
All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.
Rare Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Muehlenbeckia~axillaris (accessed 24 January, 2021)
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