Botanical art
Prior names
Centipeda minima, partly
Common names
Cotton Sneezeweed
Spreading Sneezeweed
Etymology
Centipeda from Latin for centipede, from 'centi' meaning hundred and 'ped' meaning foot, referring to the creeping stems. Nidiformis meaning nest-shaped, referring to the depressed-hemispherical flower receptacle.
Distribution and status
Found in three disjunct locations in South Australia in Innamincka, along the Murray River and in the upper South-east, growing along the margins of watercourses on clay or clay-loam soils. Also found in all mainland States. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Uncommon in Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Murray, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Decumbent to ascending cottony annual, spreading to 15 cm diameter and to 15 cm high; adventitious roots not or rarely produced. Branches densely white-cottony, at least on young growth. Leaves more or less spatulate to 10 mm long and 5 mm wide, usually with very slender petiole-like bases that are often almost as long as, (occasionally longer than) the broader part of the lamina; shallowly toothed or sub-entire; surfaces light to densely cottony, with scattered resin droplets. Flower heads yellow with no petals, globular when fully open to 5 mm diam, solitary. Flowering between January and April. Fruits are dense brown daisy head. Seeds are pale brown four-angled pyramidal seed to 1.2 mm long and 0.4 mm wide with scattered hairs on the narrower part. Seed embryo type is spatulate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between March and July. Collect heads that are drying off and turning brown. Place the heads in a tray for a week to dry. Then rub the heads gently with your hands or a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Be careful as the seeds are very small. 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 one collection, the seed viability was average, at 50%. 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 | 41,300 (1.44 g) | 20 | 17-May-2007 | RJB71826 North Western | 19-Sep-2008 | 50% | -18°C |
| BGA | 34,200 (0.47 g) | 10 | 19-May-2007 | RJB71968 Gairdner-Torrens | 1-Jan-2016 | 95% | -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.