Phebalium is probably adapted from the Greek phibaleos the name of a fig tree or myrtle.
Anceps
Blister bush refers to its propensity to cause skin blisters on contact and its growth habit.
Other Names:
Summary:
A slender perennial shrub to 3000 mm tall with white flowers and angular branchlets with silver scales on young growth. It causes blistering of the skin on contact.
Description:
Cotyledons:
Two.
Leaves:
Alternate.
Stipules -
Petiole - Short.
Blade - Simple, narrowly elliptic, 40-120 mm by 8-23 mm, papery, silver with tiny scales when young and becoming smooth with age.
Stems:
Erect, up to 3000 mm tall, branched. Branchlets angular and covered with tiny scales when young.
Flower head:
Flowers on 4-12 mm long stalks(pedicels) in cymes at the ends of branches and in the leaf axils. Pedicels with tiny scales and 2 small bracts near the middle.
Flowers:
Ovary - Rounded, densely covered with silver scales. 5 carpels joined at the top with 2 ovules each. Style simple from the centre of the ovary. Large disc continuous with the ovary.
Calyx - Hemispherical, 1-1.5 mm long, silver with tiny scales on the outside, 5 triangular lobes.
Petals - 5, free, white, broadly oval, 4.5-6 mm long, silver with tiny scales on the outside.
Anthers - 1 mm long, notched at the base with a tiny pointed tip.
Fruit:
5 shortly beaked, smooth sections(mericarps), 3 mm long.
Seeds:
Flattened, oval, 2 mm long.
Roots:
Key Characters:
Silver scales. Angular branchlets.
Biology:
Life cycle:
Perennial shrub.
Physiology:
Reproduction:
By seed.
Flowering times:
September to October in Perth.
Seed Biology and Germination:
Vegetative Propagules:
None.
Hybrids:
Allelopathy:
Population Dynamics and Dispersal:
Spread by seed.
Origin and History:
Australia.
Distribution:
NT, WA.
In coastal areas.
Habitats:
Climate:
Temperate. Mediterranean.
Soil:
Sands.
Plant Associations:
Significance:
Beneficial:
Detrimental:
Causes blistering.
Toxicity:
Contact causes blistering of the skin in humans and the mouths of stock.
Symptoms:
Blistering.
Treatment:
Remove stock from infestations.
Legislation:
None.
Management and Control:
Thresholds:
Eradication strategies:
Spray with 1 litre of Garlon plus 1 litre of spray oil in 100 litres of water.
Herbicide resistance:
Biological Control:
Related plants:
Desert Phebalium (Phebalium glandulosum)
Club-leaved Phebalium (Phebalium obcordatum)
Narrow-leaved Phebalium (Phebalium stenophyllum)
Plants of similar appearance:
References:
Lazarides, M. and Hince, B. (1993). CSIRO handbook of economic plants of Australia. (CSIRO, Melbourne). #962.1.
Marchant, N.G., Wheeler, J.R., Rye, B.L., Bennett, E.M., Lander, N.S. and Macfarlane, T.D. (1987). Flora of the Perth Region. (Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia). P489. Diagram.
Acknowledgments:
Collated by HerbiGuide. Phone 08 98444064 or www.herbiguide.com.au for more information.