Common name: Mallee bitterbush
Adriana tomentosa Gaudich. APNI* Synonyms: Adriana urticoides (A.Cunn.) Guymer APNI*
Description: Shrub 0.5–2 m high, multi-or single-stemmed, young stems whitish, green or reddish.
Leaves alternate, or occasionally alternate and opposite, lamina ovate to lanceolate or broad-rhombic, mostly 4–10 cm long, 2–8 cm wide, juveniles sometimes larger, apex acute, acuminate or obtuse, margins toothed, crenate or undulate and ± entire, often deeply 3-lobed, less commonly 2-, 4- or 5-lobed, mostly pubescent or sometimes glabrous, main veins usually impressed on upper surface; petiole 1–7 mm long.
Male spikes 5–15 cm long. Female spikes usually 1–6 cm long.
Capsule 8–12 mm diam., glabrous to pubescent.
Flowering: Flowers mainly spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread, especially along watercourses.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CC, ST, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. S.A. W.A.
Orchard & Gross (2009) Australian Systematic Botany, Vol. 22, pp 377-383
| | Key to the varieties | |
| 1 | Leaves with margins regularly toothed with sharp or blunt teeth, rarely margins entire, sometimes crenate but then leaf base not cordate; leaves unlobed or 3-lobed, sometimes 2-, 4- or 5-lobed; petiole up to or more than half the length of the lamina; leaf apex and lateral lobes acute to acuminate, sometimes obtuse, tips sharp or rounded; leaves alternate, rarely alternate or opposite. | var. tomentosa |
| Leaves with margins crenate, wavy or entire, occasionally regulalry toothed with blunt teeth, leaf bases not cordate; leaves unlobed or 3-lobed, not 2-, 4- or 5-lobed; petiole up to half the length of the lamina; leaf apex and lateral lobes usually obtuse, sometimes acute, not acuminate, tips rounded, not sharp; leaves alternate or alternate and opposite. | var. hookeri |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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