Maireana villosa (Lindl.) Paul G.wilson

Open shrub to 0.5 m high. Branches slender, minutely to loosely woolly. Leaves alternate, flattened, linear to very narrowly oblong or narrowly obovate, acute, 5–12 mm long, appressed-villous. Flowers solitary or paired, bisexual, glabrous except ciliate lobes. Fruiting perianth brown when dry; tube broadly turbinate, faintly costate, c. 1 mm high, thin-walled and readily crushed; wing simple, horizontal (infolded when young), papery, with a single radial (radicular) slit, 7–10 mm diam., with dark brown anastomosing veins when dry; upper perianth flat, glabrous or sparsely pilose.

It grows in inland Australia. It grows on gravelly red earths and shallow soils. It suits arid and semi-arid regions. It is hardy to frosts and can tolerate drought.

The plant is used as a herb during cooking.

It is grown from seed. Seed germinate in 10-20 days. It can also be grown from cuttings.