This short-lived perennial forb with sticky stems, commonly known Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) is a flowering plant species found only in Australia.
An erect or straggling herb that can grow up to 1.2 m in height. The leaves are 1-5 cm long, 3-15 mm wide, alternating up the stems, with the bases extending down the stems as a narrow wing. The leaves are flat and hairy below, sometimes almost hairless above, the edges entire or toothed to lobed.
The flowers can vary from green, blue, purple, pink, white. There are no petals, the flower heads are spherical to oval, borne singly at the end of the stems.
Quite common in Western Australia, across mainland Australia. Also found growing in the Alice Springs region. It is found in natural habitat from sub-tropical dry to continental grasslands.
Known as Apple Bush, also Applebush, and Fruit-salad Plant. The Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara name is Intiyanu.
Common name
Known as “Apple Bush” (also spelt “applebush”) and “Fruit-salad Plant”. There are also a number of Aboriginal names such as Intiyanu (Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara name). An aromatic plant that is used in Australian Aboriginal medicine.
Checkout our Apple Bush (Emily & Jessie Gaps) and Apple Bush (Alice Springs) pages.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Charophyta
- Class: Equisetopsida
- Subclass: Magnoliidae
- Superorder: Asteranae
- Order: Asterales
- Family: Asteraceae
- Genus: Pterocaulon
- Species: Pterocaulon sphacelatum
Footnote & References
- Applebush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum), iNatuarlist, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/370042-Pterocaulon-sphacelatum
FloraFlora in Australia Flora Index Acacia Anigozanthos (Kangaroo Paws) Annual Yellowtop Apium prostratum subsp. prostratum var filiforme Apple Bush (Pterocaulon sphacelatum) Australian Bluebell Australian Gossypium Banksia Batswing Coral Tree Billy Buttons Birdsville Indigo Blue Pincushion Bush Banana Callistemon Callitris drummondii (Drummond’s Cypress Pine) Calothamnus quadrifidus Cape Honeysuckle Cassia fistula (Golden Shower) Cattle Bush Common Heath Crotalaria Darwinia wittwerorum (Wittwer’s Mountain Bell) Daviesia oppositifolia (Rattle-pea) Desert Oaks Drumsticks Eremophila Eucalyptus Ficus Flannel Cudweed (Actinobole uliginosum) Georges Indigo Goatshead Burr (Sclerolaena bicornis) Golden Everlasting Goodenia Gossypium Grass and Grasses Grass Trees Grevillea Grey Germander Hakea Kapok Bush (Aerva javanica) Lambertia sp Leptospermum MacDonnell Ranges Cycad Maireana scleroptera Mexican Poppy Minnie Daisy Mistletoe Family Nardoo Native Apricot Nicotiana megalosiphon subspecies sessilifolia Nuytsia floribunda Orange Spade Flower Orchidaceae Parakeelyas (Calandrinia) Pebble Bush (Stylobasium spathulatum) Perennial Yellow Top Pink Everlasting Pink Rock Wort Poached Egg Daisy Portulaca Proteaceae Ptilotus Quandong Resurrection Fern Rosy Dock Ruby Saltbush Santalum Solanum Spike Centaury Spinifex Storkbill (Erodum cygnorum) Striped Mint Bush Sturt’s Desert Pea Sturt’s Desert Rose Tall Saltbush Tangled Leschenaultia Tar Vine Tribulus eichlerianus Upside-down Plant Urodon dasyphylla Variable Daisy Waratah (Telopea) Wertabona Daisy White Cedar (Melia azedarach) White Indigo White Paper Daisy Wild Passionfruit Wild Stock Woolly-Headed Burr Daisy Woolly Bush Yellow-keeled Swainsona
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