Biology:Sclerolaena bicornis

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Short description: Species of shrub

Sclerolaena bicornis
Sclerolaena bicornis.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Sclerolaena
Species:
S. bicornis
Binomial name
Sclerolaena bicornis
Sclerolaena bicornis.Dist.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Sclerolaena bicornis, commonly known as goathead burr, is a perennial shrub in the Amaranthaceae family, native to inland Australia, and found in Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales, and Western Australia[1]

It was first described by John Lindley in 1838 in Thomas Mitchell's Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia.[1][2] The species epithet, bicornis, is derived from Latin bis ("twice") and cornu (''horn"),[3] and describes the plant as having two-horned burrs.

Description

Sclerolaena bicornis is a complexly branched shrub , growing up to 50 cm high. The branches are white and woolly, with widely spaced, slender, semi-terete leaves. The flowers are solitary, with a densely woolly perianth. Stamens 5. The fruiting perianth is woody with a thick white woolly covering expcept for the final part of the spines.[4]

The Walmajarri people, who know the plant as Paka, avoid this plant because it causes bad sores, but they use the burrs to lance boils.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jacobs, S. W. L. (1999). "Sclerolaena bicornis". PlantNet - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Sclerolaena~bicornis. Retrieved 21 September 2017. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 , 2, p. 47, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56306132 , Wikidata Q6146213
  3. "bicornis,-is,-e". http://www.plantillustrations.org/epithet.php?id_epithet=213767. 
  4. Paul G.Wilson (2020). "Sclerolaena bicornis". Flora of Australia. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Sclerolaena%20bicornis. Retrieved 2021-03-22. 
  5. , pp. 84 , Wikidata Q106088428

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q15555141 entry