Weed Experts... botanists not dope-heads...

Submitted: Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 22:08
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Can anyone tell me what this is please?



Currently draping the Flinders Ranges like this:



Cheers
Andrew off to the Flinders on Friday - wanna join me?
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Reply By: IanM (Vic) - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 22:47

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 22:47
Andrew
My other (better) half is into this sort of thing and she reckons it looks like ptilotus if that is any help.

IanM
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Reply By: WillyWish - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 22:52

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 22:52
Yep it's a species of Ptilotus, looks like Ptilotus obovatus but couldn't be sure, there are quite a number of different species. Common name is Mulla Mulla (Aboriginal name). Ah, and it's not a weed, it's native.

Will.
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:02

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:02
ummm. I though Mulla Mulla had longer body flowers. These are sort of round flowers with quite a different form to the mulla mullas that I thought I knew ;-)

I always thought that these:


were mulla mullas?
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Follow Up By: Member - Kim M (VIC) - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:04

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:04
Andrew

It also looks like Mulla to me.

Regards

Kim
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:04

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:04
Here is obovatus: From florabase
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:09

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:09
But there are lots of them - perhaps astrolasius from florabase of axilaris from florabase

anyways, I guess it is a Ptilotus of some kind...

Thanks everyone,
Andrew who now knows Amaranthacaea take different forms.
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Follow Up By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:11

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:11
Andrew...I agree that what you call Mulla Mulla is correct.
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:13

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:13
Astrolasius is here: Florabase

For some reason Dave's code gets two links muddled.
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:15

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:15
and Axilarus is hereFlorabase

so this would appear to be a Mat Mulla Mulla or similar... perhaps... although it would seem to be in the wrong place.
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Reply By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:18

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:18
Thanks Ian and Willy for putting me on the right track.

Cheers,
Andrew.
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Reply By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:21

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:21
I have a very very good book that I use and find it an excellent reference and the colour photos are perfect.

It appears to be Ptilotus obovatus - Silver Tails. An alternate name is White Foxtail.

These are Amaranthaceae and correctly they do fit into the common collection of Mulla Mullas but as I have posted below most of the Mulla Mullas that people are familar with are of the elongated flower type.

So I guess every post so far appears correct as far as calling them a Mulla Mulla but most of us are used to the elongated flowers

The book I can recomend is "A Guide to the Plants or Inland Australia" by Phillip Moore
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Reply By: Dave B (NSW) - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:35

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:35
As others say, I reckon it's Obvatus. They are reasonably common in the Flinders.
Another one that is common is the Pink Mulla Mulla
(Ptilotus Exaltatus)

Dave
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Follow Up By: Dave B (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 00:00

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 00:00
I hope this works, it's a photo I took on the Arkapena scenic drive.[img]
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Follow Up By: Dave B (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 00:01

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 00:01
Try again,
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:38

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:38
Yes. I've seen a lot of the pink mulla mulla up there last week, including further north to Maree.

The examples in the photo I put up were further East from Birdsville - well probably from the Eastern edge of the Simpson as far East as Charleville.
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Follow Up By: Member - extfilm (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 12:43

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 12:43
Hey Andrew,
I smoked, I mean, took a few pics of them in Rudall River. The pink ones though. Although they were more of a purple colour.
Peter
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Reply By: Member - Phillip S (WA) - Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:44

Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007 at 23:44
DON'T SMOKE IT
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Follow Up By: Member - Uncle (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 06:40

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 06:40
I suppose you could always ring the Nimbin Tourist info centre?LOL.....
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Reply By: Member - Stephen L (SA) - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:23

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:23
Hi Andrew,
If you are not able to find out correctly what it is, contact the Department of Enviorment and Heritage and the SA Museum.
I was up at Lake Torrens a couple of weeks ago doing a confluence and photographed a small lizard.

I was not able to find out what it was. Contacted the above departments, now they are all a buzz, first ever recorded sighting and photos of a Lake Eyre Dragon on the Eastern side of Lake Torrens.

Cheers

Stephen
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:41

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:41
That is great Steve.

How big was the guy?

Unfortunately all the dragons I have taken photos of tend to be too common. At least dragon phtoography is easy - one you work on them slowly you can get down quite near for some good macro shots.
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (SA) - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:50

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 08:50
Hi Andrew
The Lake Eyre Dragon has a body size of about 8cm long, with a long and thin tail, giving it an overall length of about 16cm. The orange under its chin, indicates a female with eggs. The lady from the National Parks is very interested, as was the SA Museum. From what I have been told from the Museum, is that the only ever recording on Lake Torrens was in 1965 and on the Western Side, so you can see why both departments are very keen to follow up my sightings.


Cheers

Stephen
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Reply By: Ole Grizzly - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 09:44

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 09:44
.... Florabundas Bydaroadas ...
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 12:46

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 12:46
No - perhaps Florabundas Ondaranges
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Follow Up By: Rick (S.A.) - Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 22:06

Friday, Oct 19, 2007 at 22:06
Andrew,

I was around L Torrens (circumnavigated it while doing a recce for celebrations for 150th Anniversary of John McDouall Stuart's epic 1858 journey) for 4 days within the last week & saw quite a bit of it. I thought it was silver mulla mulla or silvertails (Ptilotus obovatus). So while there I checked with Kutsche & Lay - and it is.

Do you carry a copy? Very handy leetle book!
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Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 19:44

Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 19:44
LOL - thanks Rick.

On a serious note, I will go looking for ze book you mention to add to my library, but might I suggest you try speaking the "potential" scientific names Ole Grizzly and myself suggested ;-)

Cheers
Andrew.
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