Botanical art
Prior names
Erysimum filifolium
Pseudoarabidella filifolia
Sisymbrium filifolium
Blennodia filifolia
Common names
Rock cress
Thread-leaf Cress
Etymology
Arabidella a diminutive of 'arabis' which is a Greek word for mustard or cress. Filifolia from the Latin 'filum' meaning thread and 'folium' meaning a leaf, referring to the thread-like leaves.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found mainly in the central region, growing in rocky places. Native. Uncommon in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect, much branching, straggling shrub to 1 m tall with thread-like leaves, sometimes splitting into 2s or 3s, to 6 cm long. Inflorescenec a terminal cluster with white or cream flowers. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are long capsules up to 2 cm long, usually brown when mature and containing numerous seeds. Seeds are yellow-orange, semi-flat reniform seeds to 1.2 mm long and 0.7 mm wide. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and December. Collect capsules that are turning brown, with hard yellow seeds inside. Place the capsules in a tray and cover to prevent seeds popping out and leave to dry for at least a week. 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. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 95%. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 16,600 (3.66 g) 16,600 (3.66 g) | 35+ | 23-Nov-2009 | KHB319 Flinders Ranges | 1-Jun-2010 | 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.