Botanical art
Prior names
Lepigonum tasmanicum
Spergularia marginata, partly
Spergularia sp. Butchers Gap (P.Gibbons 234)
Spergularia sp. B
Spergularia sp. 1
Etymology
Spergularia is derived from the genus Spergula, first used by De l'Obel for Sagina spergula which is now known as Spergula amensis, and probably derived from the Latinisation of Spergel, the German name of this plant or from the Latin 'spargo' meaning sow or scatter; referring to the discharge of seeds. Tasmanica of or from Tasmania (Australia); referring to the location where the type specimen was collected from.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia, growing in coastal and inland sandy swamps and salt marshes. Also found in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Perennial herb with thick, woody rootstock and erect to more or less decumbent branches. Leaves flattened, mucronate to shortly caudate. to 80 mm long and 2 mm wide, glabrous to sparsely hairy. Inflorescence a loose spike covered in dense hairs with pink flowers. Flowering between August and December. Fruits are brown ovoid capsule to 9 mm long. Seeds are dark brown to black circular seeds to 1.1 mm diameter, with a paper wing around the margin. Seed embryo type is peripheral.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and January. Collect capsules that are maturing, fat and turning brown and contain hard dark seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand or with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Be very careful as the seeds are very small. Seeds should be hard and brown. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. From two collections, the seed viability were average to high, ranging from 75% to 80%.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 1,900 (0.3 g) | 50 | 1-Oct-2007 | RJB74464 South Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 80% | -18°C |
BGA MSB | 5,700 (0.7 g) 5,700 (0.7 g) | 18-Sep-2007 | RJB74256 South Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 75% | -18°C |