Prior names
Phebalium hillebrandii
Phebalium bilobum
Eriostemon hillebrandii, partly
Common names
Mount Lofty Leionema
Mount Lofty Phebalium
Hillebrand's Phebalium
Etymology
Leionema, from the Greek 'leios', meaning smooth and 'nema', meaning thread. Hillebrandii named after William Hillebrand (1821 - 1886), a German physician and botanist who visited South Australia for 6 months in 1849 and made a few collections from near the mouth of the River Murray and Lake Alexandrina and in the vicinity of Reedy Creek.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found only in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges, growing in heath-woodland and forest gullies, often in open rocky habitat along steep gullies. Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
NRM region: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small straggly shrub to 60 cm, with slender, smooth, reddish to olive-brown stems and branchlets. Leaves ovoid, covered in soft hairs; dark green above and pale green below. Inflorescence in terminal clusters of two to sixteen, white with pink back flowers. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are pale brown, two to four-segmented capsule. Seeds are brown bean-like seed to 3.5 mm long and 2 mm wide. Seed embryo type is linear, fully-developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. Collect mature capsules; those that are turning a pale straw colour and containing hard seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for a 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 three collections, the seed viability was average to high, ranging from 75% to 100%. This species has morpho-physiological dormancy and can be difficult to germinate.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 1,190 (9.1 g) 1,190 (9.1 g) | 83 | 23-Dec-2003 | PJA76 Southern Lofty | 1-Sep-2004 | 75% | -18°C |
BGA | 230 (0.95 g) | 16-Nov-2006 | PJA146 Southern Lofty | 20-Jul-2009 | 100% | -18°C | |
BGA | 310 (1.5 g) | 50+ | 7-Dec-2007 | PJA160 Southern Lofty | 20-Jul-2009 | 90% | -18°C |
BGA | 280 (1.47 g) | 20 | 14-Nov-2016 | DJD3603 Southern Lofty | 1-Nov-2017 | 64% | -18°C |