17. Lignum

Muehlenbeckia cunninghamii

NON-INDIGENOUS USE:

not known.

INDIGENOUS USE:

not known.

DESCRIPTION:

A tangled and intertwined shrub with many slender striated branches and branchlets, grows to 2.5m.

BARK:

Grey green stems often pointed at the end.

LEAVES:

The small leaves are dropped as the plant matures.

FLOWERS:

Grow in a whorl-like cluster along the branches, they are small and creamy coloured and occur throughout the year. Associated with wetland habitats especially in arid and semi-arid areas prone to flooding. Because of dense growth it provides a protected breeding habitat for native wildlife such as waterbirds and also for feral animals such as pigs, foxes and rabbits. Only grazed under extreme conditions.