Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, about 50km north of Murchison Settlement, Pilbara, WA

Plants. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, about 50km north of Murchison Settlement, Pilbara, WA

Common Name

Southern Sea-heath, Common Sea-heath

Family

Frankeniaceae

Notes

Shrub, prostrate or to 20cm tall.  Leaves opposite each other, with membranous stipules at the base, which encircle the stem.  Leaves 0.3-1.3cm long, 0.6-2.2mm wide, linear, hairy to hairless, exuding salt, edges curved down to down-rolled.  Flowers pink, rarely white, with 4-6 petals, solitary at the bases of the leaves or in open groups of 2-25 flowers at the bases of the leaves and the ends of the stems, each flower subtended by a whorl of 4 leaf-like bracts. 

Differentiation between the species of Frankenia is based on details of the ovaries, beyond the scope of this key.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales pages 500-501

eFlora of South Australia description:  http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Frankenia_pauciflora