About Maireana sedifolia (F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson
Maireana sedifolia is a compact, widely branched, dioecious shrub that usually grows to around 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) tall. The entire plant is covered in bluish grey, woolly hairs. Its leaves grow in an alternating arrangement, are narrowly egg-shaped with the narrower end at the base, measure 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, and end in a rounded tip. Flowers are borne in pairs, covered in dense woolly hairs, and usually only one flower in each pair matures. Male flowers are hemispherical, while female flowers are spherical. When dry, the fruiting perianth is straw-coloured or pale brown. The perianth tube ranges in shape from hemispherical to top-shaped, reaching about 2 mm (0.079 in) high and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide at the top. It is firm with thin walls, except for a thickened base. The perianth wing is horizontal, papery, hairless, and has a single slit. This species most often grows in calcareous soil. It can be found in south-western New South Wales, north-western Victoria, South Australia, southern Northern Territory, and south-eastern Western Australia.
