Flowering plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Joe McAuliffe, Murray sunset National Park, Vic

Flowering plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, NNE of Kalbarri, WA

Flowering plant. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Flowering plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, near St George, Qld

Common Name

Long-tails; Prince of Wales Feathers

Family

Amaranthaceae

Notes

Annual or perennial forb to 1.5m tall.  Basal leaves soon withering, to 21cm long, 36mm wide. Stem leaves alternating along the stem, to 10cm long or more, 3-6mm wide, linear to flat, hairy when young, edges wavy. Flowers fragrant, yellow-green, sometimes reddish, with 5 'petals'.  Flower heads cylindrical, solitary at the tops of the stems.  Endangered Vic (as Ptilotus polystachyus var. polystachyus).

Description and photo (as Ptilotus polystachyus var. polystachyus) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 289

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