About Philotheca salsolifolia (Sm.) Druce
Philotheca salsolifolia (Sm.) Druce is a shrub that usually grows to a height of 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches), and has branchlets that are more or less free of hair. Its leaves are crowded and thick, ranging in shape from cylindrical (3 to 5 millimetres, or 0.12 to 0.20 inches, long) to narrow and pointed (up to 12 millimetres, or 0.47 inches, long). Flowers are arranged singly, or in groups of two or three, at the ends of branchlets. Each flower grows from a pedicel that is either top-shaped and 1 to 2 millimetres (0.039 to 0.079 inches) long, or thin and about 8 millimetres (0.31 inches) long. This species has five triangular sepals around 1.5 millimetres (0.059 inches) long, and five narrow elliptic petals 6 to 12 millimetres (0.24 to 0.47 inches) long that are pink to mauve with a dark central stripe. It has ten glabrous stamens that are fused together in their lower half and covered in dense hair above their fused section. Flowering takes place between September and December, and the resulting fruit is 5 to 6 millimetres (0.20 to 0.24 inches) long with a pointed tip. Philotheca salsolifolia grows in heath in rocky or sandy locations within forest and woodland. It is widespread across New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, ranging from near Yamba in the north to Bega on the south coast, and inland as far as West Wyalong and the Pilliga scrub. The subspecies pedicellata is only known from near Angourie on the north coast of New South Wales, where it grows in coastal or near-coastal sand.
