Botanical art
Prior names
Calotis microphylla
Common names
Yellow Burr-daisy
Etymology
Calotis from the Greek 'kalos' meaning beautiful and 'otos' meaning ear, after the first species named in the genus Calotis cuneifolia which has an ear-shaped pappus. Lappulacea from the Latin 'lappa' meaning burr, alluding to the burr-like fruit.
Distribution and status
Found in the central part of South Australia, between Lake Torrens and Lake Frome south to Peterborough. Also found in all other mainland states. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Rare in the Northern Territory. Uncommon in Victoria. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Perennial herb or undershrub to 50 cm high with hairy, erect, much-branched, wiry stems, becoming woody in the lower part. Base leaves petiolate, cuneate, toothed or pinnatifid, to 6 cm long and 8 mm wide, soon withering. Stem leaves sessile, linear to oblanceolate, entire to pinnatifid, to 2.5 cm long and 4 mm wide, narrowed at the base, scabrous-pubescent. Flower-head in very loose leafy terminal cymes with solitary or 2-4 flowers, ray florets yellow. Flowering much of the year. Fruits are brown round spiny fruit-head. Seeds are yellow-brown pyramid-shaped seed to 2 mm long, with numerous barbed spines at one end. Seed embryo type is spathulate fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and December. Collect mature seed heads that are dried and turning brown by picking off the heads and placing them in a paper bag. Be careful as the heads are spiny. Leave the heads in the paper bag to dry for at least a week. No further cleaning required if only the heads are collected. If other material were collected, use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Whole heads can be stored with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 6,500 (4.83 g) | 20+ | 13-Mar-2010 | KHB386 Flinders Ranges | 1-Jun-2010 | 30% | -18°C |
| BGA | 60,000 (21.82 g) | 300+ | 9-Dec-2009 | KHB337 Flinders Ranges | 1-Jun-2010 | 40% | -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.