Fruiting bodies on branch. Photo: Chris Clarke, Parr Scrub Reserve, Pinaroo, SA

Fruiting bodies and leaves. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Fruiting bodies, cancerous growths, and leaves. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Cancerous growths (three circled). Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Shrub. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Yanga Bush; Small-leaf Bluebush, Short-leaved Bluebush, Eastern Cotton Bush, Yarga Bush

Family

Chenopodiaceae

Notes

Shrub or perennial forb to 1.5m tall.  Leaves succulent, alternating up the stems, 0.2-0.5cm long, more or less cylindrical to flat, hairless.  Flowers tiny (less than 3mm across), solitary at the bases of the leaves.  Fruiting body white or pink, hairless; the horizontal wing divided into 5.  Often has spherical, hairy, cancerous structures about 2.5cm in diameter. Colonising species of saline soils.

Description (page 267), photo (page 266) and line drawing of fruiting body (Fig. 47-4 page 271) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Maireana~brevifolia