Botanical art
Prior names
Viola hederacea ssp. seppeltiana
Erpetion spathulatum, nom.illeg.
Viola hederacea ssp. sieberiana
Viola hederacea var. sieberi
Viola sieberi
Common names
Sieber's Violet
Tiny Violet
Etymology
Viola from Latin for violet; referring to the violet genus. Sieberiana named after Franz Wilhelm Sieber (1789-1844), a Bohemian botanist and collector who traveled to Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and Australia.
Distribution and status
Found on Kangaroo Island, Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in moist and shady areas. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. However, Victorian plants previously assigned to Viola sieberiana are now referable to V. hederacea subsp. seppeltiana, V. fuscoviolacea or V. cleistogamoides. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Perennial stoloniferous herb, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with short erect stems short. Leaves tufted, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, leaf-blade broadly ovate to ovate-rhomboid, margins with a few coarse teeth, tapering into the petiole. Flowers pale to dark blue-violet with petals twice the length of the sepals. Flowering between August and December. Fruits are ovoid capsule to 5 mm long. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect capsules that are maturing, drying and turning pale brown with dark seeds inside. Keep an eye on the capsules as they can ripen and split open quickly. Place the capsules in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds popping out and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules gently with your hands 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. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MSB | 2,000 (1.84 g) | 50 | 1-Nov-2007 | RJB74934 Murray | 80% | ||
MSB | 1,600 (1 g) | 50 | 4-Dec-2007 | TST251 Southern Lofty | 90% |