Botanical art
Prior names
Brachycome aculeata
Brachycome cuneifolia
Common names
Wedge-leaf Daisy
Etymology
Brachyscome from the Greek 'brachys' meaning short and 'kome' meaning hair, referring to the short bristles or hairs of the pappus. Cuneifolia from the Latin 'cuneus' meaning wedge and 'folium' meaning a leaf, referring to the wedge-shaped leaf.
Distribution and status
Found along the coast from Eyre Peninsula to the South-east in South Australia, growing in mallee on calcareous soils. Also found in Victoria. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Rare in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Perennial herb to 60 cm high with unbranched, short, erect stems. Leaves all near the basal, sometimes forming a rosette, sessile, oblanceolate to spathulate, shallowly obtuse-lobed, to 6 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. Inflorescence solitary on a long stalk with large white ray florets and yellow disc florets. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are brown daisy head. Seeds are flat brown, ovoid seed to 3 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, with a broad wing and scattered hairs on the margin. Central part covered in scattered hairs and a minute pappus at one end. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and December. Pick heads that are maturing, drying off, with brown seeds that dislodge easily. Place the seed-heads in a tray and leave to dry for a week. Then gently rub the heads 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 average. This species may have physiological dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate. Germinates well at cool temperatures (between 7 oC and 17.5 oC).
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 2,100 (0.95 g) | 50+ | 17-Oct-2006 | DJD588 Yorke Peninsula | |||
| BGA | 800 (0.44 g) | 18-Oct-2006 | DJD575 Yorke Peninsula | 1-Aug-2007 | 55% | -18°C | |
| BGA MSB | 8,000 (3.26 g) 3,000 (1.26 g) | 5-Nov-2008 | DJD1294 Yorke Peninsula | 1-Jan-2012 | 90% | -18°C | |
| BGA | 6,700 (2.6 g) | 15-Oct-2009 | TST822 Yorke Peninsula | 1-Jan-2012 | 98% | -18°C | |
| 50+ | 15-Oct-2009 | TST822 Yorke Peninsula | 1-Nov-2017 | 98% | -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.