Plants of
South Australia
Ptilotus symonii
Amaranthaceae
Symon's Mulla Mulla
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
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Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
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Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1

Etymology

Ptilotus from the Greek 'ptilotos' meaning feathered or winged; referring to the hairy flowers. Symonii named after David Symon (1920-2011), South Australian botanist, renowned worldwide for his study of the Solanaceae family.

Distribution and status

Found in the far south-western part of South Australia, growing on limestone plains in low rocky rises and floodplain. Also found in Western Australia. Native. Rare in South Australia. Uncommon in Western Australia.
Herbarium region: Nullarbor
NRM region: Alinytjara Wilurara
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Much-branched perennial herb with several long prostrate stems to 50 cm long arising from a rhizome. Herb low creeping or sprawling upwards amongst bushes with young shoots slightly tomentose with appressed hairs vanishing downwards with age. Branches with scattered small oblong-lanceolate leaves, upper ones often aciculate. Inflorescent solitary spike at terminal of branchlets with yellowish-green to straw-coloured flowers with perianth reddish fading to green-yellow and creamy. Flowering between June and February. Fruits are straw-coloured globular head containing numerous long papery and hairy fruits. Seed embryo type is peripheral.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and January. Be very careful when collecting this species as the fruits contain fine hairs that may cause an allergic reaction for some people. Collect the fruit heads when dried to a pale straw colour. Each fruit should come off the head easily when fingers are rubbed up the stem. Collect more fruits than required as not all fruits will have a viable seed. Be very careful when cleaning this species as the fruits contain fine hairs that may cause an allergic reaction for some people. To clean, rub the fruit heads gently to dislodge the seed at the base of each fruit. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA1,240 (1.17 g)40+30-Nov-2018DEM9301
Nullarbor
24-Apr-2019100%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.