Plants of
South Australia
Wurmbea latifolia ssp. latifolia
Colchicaceae
Broad-leaf Star-lily,
Broad-leaf Nancy
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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
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Common names

Broad-leaf Star-lily

Broad-leaf Nancy

Etymology

Wurmbea name after Friedrick Wilhelm von Wurmb, merchant and botanist in 18th century Batavia (Jakarta). Latifolia from the Latin 'latus' meaning broad or wide and 'folium' meaning a leaf; referring to the species broad leaves.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and found in the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, growing on heavy, often waterlogged soils of open forest and woodland. Native. Very rare in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Northern Lofty
NRM region: Northern and Yorke
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Dioecious herb 15 cm high. Leaves 3 with the lower 2 similar, almost opposite, basal, with serrate margins, lanceolate to broad-lanceolate, to 8 cm long and 12 mm broad, with the inflorescence almost concealed between them, the upper leaf very short, lanceolate, just below or partly concealed within inflorescence. Inflorescence spike with 2-6 white flowers, females small, rounded, hidden at base of leaves, males larger more angular, exserted from leaf-base. Nectary 1 per tepal, a raised, transverse band, pale, anthers purple. This subspecies differ from the other subspecies found in the South Australia by the relatively shorter, broader, subopposite leaves, female spikes that do not extend beyond the leaves, and globose capsules. Flowering between June and July. Fruits are brown papery globular capsule to 4 mm long, globrous. Seeds are orange globular seed to 2 mm diameter. Seed embryo type is linear under-developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between August and September. Collect mature capsules, those turning pale straw colour and containing hard brown seeds. 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. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA1,900 (4.11 g)50+1-Sep-2007RJB73635
Northern Lofty
20-Jul-2009100%-18°C
BGA3,100 (3.47 g)50+8-Oct-2018Bundeleer Reservoir
Northern Lofty
24-Apr-2019100%-18°C
BGA2,000 (2.54 g)1001-Oct-2019Adrian Shackley
Northern Lofty
24-Jun-2020100%-18°C
BGA778 (1.016 g)50+26-Oct-2022BKB69
Northern Lofty
20-Jun-2023100%-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.