Plants of
South Australia
Bossiaea peninsularis
Fabaceae
Eyre Peninsula Bossiaea,
Sword Bossiaea
Display all 19 images
Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
Enlarge Map
Copy Map
Copy Map
Display IBRA region text

Prior names

Bossiaea ensata

Bossiaea riparia

Common names

Eyre Peninsula Bossiaea

Sword Bossiaea

Etymology

Bossiaea named after Joseph Hugues Boissieu (de) La Martiniere (1758-1788), a French physician, biologist and botanist. Peninsularis means of or from a peninsula; referring to Eyre Peninsula where the species is found.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and found on roadside in a very small area on the Eyre Peninsula growing on sandy soils surrounding salt marshes and lakes in mallee woodland. Native. Very rare in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Eyre Peninsula
NRM region: Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect rhizomatous leafless shrubs to 1 m high, stems flattened with wing-like organ to 14 mm wide. Inflorescence orange and red pea-flowers. Flowering usually between August and October in good seasons. Fruits are reddish brown flattened oblong pod. Seeds are mottled brown, reniform seed to 3 mm long and 2 mm wide, with a curved pale-yellow aril on one side. Seed embryo type is bent.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and December. Collect mature pods, those drying off, turning brown and contain dark hard seeds inside. Pods with viable seeds are produced sporadically and depend on good rainfall. Not all plants will set seeds. Place the pods in a tray and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks. Then rub the pods gently with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the seeds from unwanted material. 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. Seed viability is usually high. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
1,000 (3.53 g)
1,000 (3.51 g)
30+13-Nov-2012MJT403
Eyre Peninsula
27-Feb-201490%-18°C
BGA880 (2.817 g)13-Nov-2012MJT402
Eyre Peninsula
1-Jan-201695%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.
Germination table:
  Display