Tangled Lignum

Images ©:
©Muehlenbeckia florulenta Giorgio De Nola CC2.5, Muehlenbeckia florulenta Russel Best CC2.5

Muehlenbeckia florulenta

Rounded tangled shrub to 2 m with grey-green ribbed branches with occasional small leaves that appear briefly on new growth. Small stemless creamy starry flowers along the stem.

Details
Flora Type
Shrubs
Former Scientific Name
M. cunninghamii
Distinctive Features

Intricate spreading branches are usually spine-tipped. Leaves have edges that curve backwards. Separate male and female flowers - female flowers elongate as they mature and become a thickened fruit.
Biology

Perennial. Moist heavy soils in swamps and wetlands and woodlands. Tolerates occasional inundation.
Native Status
Native
Flowering Time

Oct-Mar
Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Caryophyllales
Family
Polygonaceae
Genus
Muehlenbeckia
Species
florulenta

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

Aboriginal people ground the dry fruit of Muehlenbeckia species into flour. Muehlenbeckia are named in honour of AlsatianÃ_bryologistÃ_Heinrich Gustav MŸhlenbeckÃ_(1798_1845).

Interesting Facts
Similar Species

0
Native Status
Native