Family:

Chenopodiaceae

Maireana spp.

Cotton Bush / Blue Bush

Other Names:

Regional Subspecies:

Occurrence:

Regional:

Noted west of the Olympic Highway.

Habitat:

Various habitats, including grasslands and woodlands, often on poorer, heavier soils.

Habit:

Low-growing hardy perennials less than 1.5 m high.

Seed Collection:

Generally summer.

Propagation:

From seed or cuttings. Seed may lose viability after a year or so.

VALUES:

Land Protection:

Black Cotton Bush — Maireana decalvans: coloniser on heavy soils prone to flooding. Eastern Cottonbush — Maireana microphylla: coloniser on poorer soils. Rarely grazed by stock. Yanga Bush or Bluebush — Maireana breviflora: coloniser for saline soils. Planted for fodder (provides good grazing and recovers well from it) and for reclaiming saline areas. Hairy Bluebush — Maireana pentagona: heavier red and brown soils. Stabilises bare or scalded soil.