Ptilotus comatus
Ptilotus comatus is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae and is endemic to the north of the Northern Territory. It is an ephemeral herb, with more or less sessile, narrowly linear to narrowly elliptic and hairy leaves, and cylindrical spikes of sometimes more than 80 reddish-purple flowers.
Description
Ptilotus comatus is an ephemeral herb up to tall with upright, hairy, greyish-green stems. Its leaves are arranged alternately, more or less sessile, narrowly linear to narrowly elliptic long and wide. The flowers are densely arranged in up to 30 oval or cylindrical spikes, the large spikes long and wide with sometimes more than 80 reddish-purple flowers. The bracts are narrowly oblong to egg-shaped, about long and the bracteoles are long. The outer tepals are long, the inner tepals long. There are five stamens and the style is long, the ovary long.
Taxonomy
Ptilotus comatus was first formally described in 1984 by Gerhard Benl in the journal Muelleria from specimens collected north of the Nabarlek airstrip in 1979.
Distribution and habitat
Ptilotus comatus has been recorded as growing in forest on sand, "sandy depressions in broken sandstone" and in a "dry open sandy area" in a restricted area east of Oenpelli in Arnhem Land.
Conservation status
This species of Ptilotus is listed as "data deficient" under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act.