Ruby Saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa)
Description
Enchylaena tomentosa grows as a small perennial shrub, up to a meter in diameter. Leaves are slender and cylindrical growing to 6-15mm long, both leaves and stems are densely covered in woolly hairs. Fruits form as fleshy berries changing from bright green/yellow to bright red/orange.The derivation of the name helps describe and classify its features with Enchylaena coming from the Greek egchlos meaning fleshy or succulent and chlaen a cloak referring to the ripe fruiting perianth, tomentosa botanical Latin outlining that the plant is covered with dense short or curled hairs soft hair.Highly drought tolerant E. tomentosa has historically been sought after by Indigenous Australians, early settlers and livestock. Nutritional analyze gives the plant a 65% digestibility rating providing grazing species with 14% digestible protein and 6% digestible salt.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Amaranthaceae
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Genus: Enchylaena
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