Fruiting bodies on stem. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, Oakden Hills, SA

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

Shrub. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Black Bluebush, Shrubby Bluebush, Sago Bush

Family

Chenopodiaceae

Notes

Shrub or perennial forb to 1.5m tall.  Often spiny branches.  Leaves succulent, alternating up the stems, 0.2-0.6cm long, flat to flattened cylindrical, hairy.  Male and female flowers frequently on different plants.  Flowers tiny (less than 3mm across), solitary a the bases of the leaves.  Fruiting body green to yellow, brown to black when dry, with a single hairless horizontal wing with 0-1 radial slit.  Upper nad lower body of the fruiting body hairy.

Description and photo (page 273) and line drawing of fruiting body (Fig. 47-24 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~pyramidata