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.