Prior names
Centipeda minima, partly
Common names
Tall Sneezeweed
Etymology
Centipeda from Latin for centipede, from 'centi' meaning hundred and 'ped' meaning foot, referring to the creeping stems. Pleiocephala from the Greek 'pleio' meaning many and 'kephale' meaning head, referring to the plant's habit of producing offshoots.
Distribution and status
Found in the north and north-eastern parts of South Australia and along the Murray River growing in moist sandy, silty or clay soils in floodplains and the edges of watercourses. Also found in all mainland States. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Victoria. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect slender annual to 40 cm high with branches glabrous, except for a few cottony hairs on young growth and occasionally in axils. Leaves more or less oblong to narrowly obovate to 25 mm long and 7 mm wide; serrate, surfaces glabrous, resin-dotted. Flower heads yellow-green hemispherical to biconvex when fully open to 4.5 mm diameter with 2–4 per cluster in leaf axil. Flowering between September and November. Fruits are dense brown daisy head. Seeds are pale brown ovoid seed to 2.3 mm long and 0.6 mm wide, with scattered hairs on the narrower part. Seed embryo type is spatulate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and November. 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 high, at 95%. 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 MSB | 38,000 (3.47 g) 38,000 (3.47 g) | 13-Mar-2007 | RJB70980 Lake Eyre | 1-Aug-2007 | 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.