Indicator value
Shy bluebush is an indicator of good pasture condition in areas where it is common.
Forage value
Shy bluebush is very palatable to livestock and the leaves persist in dry times.
Habitat
Alkaline soils, floodplains, salt lake margins
General description
Shy bluebush is a low, usually very dense and multi-branched shrub that grows to about 60cm. The individual shrubs can grow to about 1m across. The woody basal branches are near horizontal and the younger leaf-carrying branches grow vertically off the old wood. The leaves are 7–12mm long and oval to flattish in cross-section. They are succulent and densely covered with fine whitish hairs. Shy bluebush flowers in winter and fruits mainly in October. The fruit is a domed woody seed case about 5mm across with a woody protrusion in the middle up to 6mm long. The fruit has a somewhat ragged-edged wing that is sparsely woolly, a cream to pink or brown colour and is about 2cm across.