Botanical art
Prior names
Acaena ovina ssp. monochaena
Acaena ovina var. tenuispica
Acaena agnipila var. tenuispica
Acaena agnipila var. protenta
Acaena agnipila
Acaena agnipila var. aequispina
Acaena ovina var. velutina
Etymology
Acaena from the Greek 'acaina' meaning a thorn, referring to the genus prickly fruit. Ovina meaning of or like sheep.
Distribution and status
Found across the Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Prostrate herb to 50 cm high, lacking stolons. Leaves narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, with 5 or more pairs of leaflets, usually 8-12 cm long (including the petiole); glabrous or sparsely appressed sot hairs above, denser below. Flowers in interrupted spikes, dark-purple. Fruits are woody ovoid fruit covered in hairs and spines.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and February. Strip seeds off the flower spike that are turning brown using a pair of gloves as the fruits are spiny. Place the seeds in a tray and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks. 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 90%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 8,700 (102.7 g) | 150 | 20-Nov-2007 | RJB75838 Southern Lofty | 85% | ||
| BGA | 2,000 (18.97 g) | 1 | 15-Nov-2007 | RJB75642 Northern Lofty | 19-Sep-2008 | 90% | -18°C |
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.