Botanical art
Common names
Blue Stars
Blue Squill
Etymology
Chamaescilla from the Greek 'chamai' meaning dwarf and 'skilla' meaning a squill or sea onion, a liliaceous plant of the Mediterranean region. Corymbosa from the Latin 'corymbosus' meaning a cluster of flowers.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia from the southern Flinders Ranges to the lower South-east, growing in seasonally moist soils. Also found in Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small annual herb, with leaves basal, grass-like, channelled, with tuberous roots. Stem erect to15 cm high, bearing near the tip, a loose corymb of 2 to many bright-blue flowers, spirally twisting after flowering separately. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are brown capsules with 3 laterally compressed lobes, acute on the dorsal edges, truncate at the tip. Seeds are glossy black, semi-flat seed to to 1.5 mm diameter. Seed embryo type is linear fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and November. Collect mature capsules, those that are turning a pale straw colour and contain black seeds. Can collect individual capsules or break off the whole spike. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to 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 can be low.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 3,590 (2.88 g) | 13-Dec-2004 | DJD84 Southern Lofty | ||||
| BGA | 7,000 (2.8 g) | 50+ | 27-Oct-2005 | MKJ92 Southern Lofty | 9-Aug-2006 | 20% | -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.