| Sclerolaena bicornis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Amaranthaceae |
| Genus: | Sclerolaena |
| Species: | S. bicornis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sclerolaena bicornis Lindl. | |
| |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Sclerolaena bicornis, commonly known as goathead burr, is a perennial shrub in the Amaranthaceae family, native to inland Australia, and found in Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales, and Western Australia The Walmajarri people of the Kimberley know the plant as Paka.
It was first described by John Lindley in 1838 in Thomas Mitchell's Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia. The species epithet, bicornis, is derived from Latin bis ("twice") and cornu (''horn"), and describes the plant as having two-horned burrs.
Description
Sclerolaena bicornis is a complexly branched shrub, growing up to 50 cm high. The branches are white and woolly, with widely spaced, slender, semi-terete leaves. The flowers are solitary, with a densely woolly perianth. Stamens 5. The fruiting perianth is woody with a thick white woolly covering except for the final part of the spines.
References
- ^ Jacobs, S. W. L. (1999). "Sclerolaena bicornis". PlantNet - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ Thomas Mitchell (1838), Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, vol. 2, p. 47, Wikidata Q6146213
- Bessie Doonday; Charmia Samuels; Evelyn (Martha) Clancy; et al. (2013). "Walmajarri plants and animals". Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin. 42: 84. Wikidata Q106088428.
- "bicornis,-is,-e". www.plantillustrations.org. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- Paul G.Wilson (2020). "Sclerolaena bicornis". Flora of Australia. Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Retrieved 22 March 2021.