Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Ptilotus spathulatus

Common name

Pussy Tails, Cats Paws

Family

Amaranthaceae

Where found

Mallee, woodland, shrubland, grassland, and swales and depressions. Western Slopes.

Notes

Perennial herb, prostrate, stems to 0.4 m long. Leaves somewhat fleshy. Stems hairy at least below the flowers, or sparsely hairy, often reddish. Leaves clustered at the base of the plant and alternating along the stems, almost hairless, tips blunt. Basal leaves 2 to about 7 cm long, to 10 mm wide. Stem leaves smaller. Flowers brownish to green or yellow-green, with 5 'petals' 9–14 mm long, free from each other almost to the base. Flower spikes 20–120 mm long, oval to cylindrical, pointing up, single. Flowers winter-spring.

PlantNET description:  https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Ptilotus~spathulatus (accessed 20 April 2021)