Plants of
South Australia
Bulbine bulbosa
Asphodelaceae
Golden lily,
Bulbine-lily,
Native Leek
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
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Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 4

Prior names

Bulbinopsis bulbosa

Anthericum bulbosum

Common names

Golden lily

Bulbine-lily

Native Leek

Etymology

Bulbine from the Latin 'bulbous' meaning a bulb, referring to the bulb-shaped tuber of many members of this genus. Bulbosa from the Latin 'bulbosus' meaning bulbous, referring to the bulb-shaped tuber under the rootstock (but not have a true bulb).

Distribution and status

Found in the southern part of South Australia, mainly in the Mount Lofty Ranges growing in damp areas in woodland, grassland and sclerophyll forest. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect annual herb to 30 cm tall with cylindrical fleshy basal leaves and a bulb-shaped tuber immediately under the rootstock. Inflorescence a long erect spike with yellow flowers, perianth filaments equal and all with a circle of hairs. Distinguished from the other Bulbine species by having a tuber just below the ground and the perianth filaments all with hairs. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are round capsules to 6 mm long containing numerous seeds. Seeds are mottled brown seeds to 3mm long. Seed embryo type is linear fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and December. Collect mature capsules that are turning pale straw colour and contain brown seeds. Can collect individual capsules or break off the whole fruit spike. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand 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. Seed viability is usually was high.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA2,200 (6.28 g)5026-Nov-2005KHB11
Eyre Peninsula
9-Aug-200985%-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.