Matted Lignum

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©Greg Baines

Muelenbeckia axillaris


Straggly shrub forming wiry mats up to 1 m in diameter. Smooth or slightly flaky reddish stems. Oval or semi-circular leaves on long stems. Solitary or few creamy star-shaped flowers in small clusters, somewhat fleshy as they age, with a long blackish three-sided seed capsule.


Details
Flora Type
Shrubs
Distinctive Features

Round leaves < 1 cm long, with mostly single flowers toward the tips of the plant at the junction of the leaves and the stem. Red-brown stems become grey-brown to blackish with age.

Biology

Perennial. Grows near streams in rocky subalpine environments.

Native Status
Native
Flowering Time

Dec-Feb

Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Equisetopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Family
Polygonaceae
Genus
Muelenbeckia
Species
axillaris

Muehlenbeckia are named in honour of Alsatian bryologist Heinrich Gustav Mahlenbecka (1798-1845).


Interesting Facts
Native Status
Native