Plants of
South Australia
Dissocarpus biflorus var. biflorus
Amaranthaceae
Woolly Twin-flower Saltbush,
Two-horn Saltbush,
Twin-flower Saltbush
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 7

Prior names

Bassia biflora var. cephalocarpa

Dissocarpus biflorus var. cephalocarpus

Sclerolaena biflora

Bassia biflora

Common names

Woolly Twin-flower Saltbush

Two-horn Saltbush

Twin-flower Saltbush

Etymology

Dissocarpus from the Greek 'dissos' meaning two fold and 'carpos' meaning fruit, referring to the paired fruits of the original species. Biflorus from the Latin 'bi' meaninf two and 'florus' meaning flower' referring to the species double (or three) flowers that are united into a small woolly ball.

Distribution and status

Found scattered across the eastern part of South Australia from the border south into the southern Mount Lofty Ranges, growing in heavy slightly saline soil. Also found in all mainland states  Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Sprawling to erect perennial shrub to 60 cm tall. Leaves linear, semi-terete to 10 cm long, appearing grey from a dense covering of simple, appressed hairs. Flowers 2 or 3 united into a small woolly ball. This variety is distinguish from the other variety found in South Australia by having woolly fruiting perianth, where as D. biflorus var. villous have shaggy (villous) hairs covering the fruiting perianth. Flowering throughout the year. Fruit woody covered in short woolly hairs with 2-3 cylindrical widely divergent points. Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between January and December. Collect fruit that are large and hard from the plant or off the ground. Place the fruits in a tray and leave to dry for 1-2 weeks. No further cleaning is required if only the fruits are collected. Store the dried fruit heads with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Germination by seed scarification (covering structure removed).

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB
2,900 (92.16 g)		26-Aug-2008DJD1129
Lake Eyre		90%
BGA500 (7.1 g)306-May-2007RJB71709
Lake Eyre		19-Sep-200840%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
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.
We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.