''Tribulus occidentalis'', common name perennial caltrop, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Zygophyllaceae Zygophyllaceae is a family of flowering plants that contains the bean-caper and caltrop. The family includes around 285 species in 22 genera. Plants in the family Zygophyllaceae may be trees, shrubs, or herbs. They are often found in dry habita ...

, which is native to Australia, and found in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. (However, Robyn Barker asserts that it is confined to the west coast of Western Australia.) It is a prostrate perennial herb, covered in long shaggy haris and growing from 2 cm to 10 cm high. The leaves occur in pairs, and have leaflets in 7 - 10 pairs. The fruits have many spines, which are from 4 to 8 mm long. It grows on sandy soils and its yellow flowers can be seen from February to November. It was first described in 1849 by Robert Brown, from a specimen collected on the "west coast of Australia, or on some of its islands, in the Voyage of the Beagle."Brown, R. in Sturt, C. (1849), Botanical Appendix. Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia 2: 69 There are no synonyms.

References

External links

''Tribulus occidentalis'' occurrence data
from the

Australasian Virtual Herbarium The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgamat ...

Plants described in 1849 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Mexico cistoides {{rosid-stub