Short-leaf Bluebush, Cottonbush,
Hebrew: מאירית קצרת-עלים ,קוכיה קצרת-עלים
| Scientific name: | Maireana brevifolia (R.Br.) Paul G.Wilson | |
| Synonym name: | Kochia brevifolia R.Br. | |
| Common name: | Short-leaf Bluebush, Cottonbush | |
| Hebrew name: | מאירית קצרת-עלים ,קוכיה קצרת-עלים | |
| Family: | Chenopodiaceae / Amaranthaceae, הסילקיים |
Location: Sede Boker |
| Life form: | Chamaephyte | |
| Succulence: | Leaf succulent | |
| Stems: | 20-100 cm high, semi erect to upright; striate (parallel ridges) | |
| Leaves: | Alternate, cylindrical or terete, scattered, fleshy, obovoid to almost threadlike, 2 – 5 mm long, narrowing into a short stalk, mostly hairless. | |
| Inflorescence: | Solitary in the leaf axils | |
| Flowers: | Bisexual; green, 5 petals | |
| Fruits: | Fruit 6–8 mm diameter, with 5, often overlapping wings to 3 mm long | |
| Flowering Period: | May, June, July August, September, October, November | |
| Habitat: | Disturbed habitats | |
| Distribution: | Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes | |
| Chorotype: | Australia | |
| Summer shedding: | Perennating |
Location: Sede Boker Derivation of the botanical name: Maireana, named for Charles Antoine Lemaire (1800 - 1871), was a French botanist and botanical author, noted for his publications on Cactaceae. brevifolia Kochia, named for Wilhem Daniel Josef Koch (1771 - 1849), a German physician and botanist, Professor of Botany at the University of Erlangen Nuremberg. The Hebrew name: מאירית, mairit, translation and transliteration from the scientific name. The Hebrew name: קוכיה, kochia, a transliteration from the scientific name.
The species is "new to" the Flora Palaestina area. It was first introduced in 1948 and is naturalized in the Negev desert. 
Location: Sede Boker |