Plants of
South Australia
Swainsona acuticarinata
Fabaceae
Limestone Swainson-pea,
Burke's Swainson-pea
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1

Prior names

Swainsona burkei ssp. acuticarinata

Common names

Limestone Swainson-pea

Burke's Swainson-pea

Etymology

Swainsona named after Isaac Swainson (1746-1812, an English scientist and horticulturalist who had a private botanic garden near London. Acuticarinata meaning acute keeled; referring to the apex of the keel.

Distribution and status

Found in red sandy soil with triodia and scattered mallee or mulga associated with limestone in the northwest and west regions of South Australia. Also found in Western Australia and Northern Territory. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Nullarbor, Eyre Peninsula
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Prostrate perennial herb to 45cm high with a number of stems from a stout taproot. Leaves with 5-11 leaflets to 5mm long with dense hairs on the lower surface and almost hairless on the upper surface. Flowers purple. Fruits are black or dark brown stiff pod to 15mm long covered with hairs. Seeds are light brown or orange, semi-flat reniform seeds to 3mm long with a slightly wrinkled surface. Seed embryo type is bent.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and December. Collect mature pods, those turning brown and contain hard seeds. Mature pods can be found lying on the ground next to the plant. When dried the pods become hard and difficult to open. Use a rubber bung to rub the pods or break the pods open with your fingers to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the 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. From two collections, the seed viability were high, at 100%. 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
BGA1,700 (3.64 g)105-Nov-2009DJD1553
Eyre Peninsula
1-Jun-2010100%-18°C
BGA2,800 (5.34 g)302-Nov-2009TST780
Eyre Peninsula
1-Jun-2010100%-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.