Dissocarpus fontinalis

Amaranthaceae

Spring Burr

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plant: Dissocarpus fontinalis JRG361 plant Witjira NP 4

plant: Dissocarpus fontinalis plant Moon Plains (3)

plant: Dissocarpus fontinalis Moon Plain (2)

plant: Dissocarpus fontinalis lf Denzel Murfet Mt Willoughby

plant: Dissocarpus fontinalis lf under Denzel Murfet Mt Willoughby

fruit: Dissocarpus fontinalis JRG361 fruit Witjira NP 11

fruit: Dissocarpus fontinalis fruit Moon Plains (6)

fruit: Dissocarpus fontinalis JRG361 fruit Witjira NP 8

fruit: Dissocarpus fontinalis Moon Plain (5)

fruit: Dissocarpus fontinalis JRG444 fruit

fruit: Dissocarpus fontinalis JRG444 fruits

seed: Dissocarpus fonrinalis JRG444 seed

seed: Dissocarpus fonrinalis JRG444 seeds

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 painting: 1

Etymology

Dissocarpus from the Greek 'dissos' meaning two fold and 'carpos' meaning fruit, referring to the paired fruits of the original species. Fontinalis meaning from fountains or springs, alluding to its habitat often near a spring.

Distribution and status

Found scattered across the north-eastern part of South Australia, often growing near springs. Also found in Queensland and New South Wales. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Queensland. Uncommon in New South Wales.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern
NRM region: South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Rounded perennial to 60 cm high with slender, woolly branches. Leaves slender, semi-terete to 10 cm long, covered in woolly hairs. Flowers in dense woolly clusters, perianth narrow-cylindrical, the upper third divided into erect narrowly triangular lobes. Flowering possibly throughout the year. Fruits are a persistent woody ball with irregularly shaped flattened or spine-like spikes protruding out of the thick hair covering. 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:

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Location	No. of seeds (weight grams)	Number of plants	Date collected	Collection number Collection location	Date stored	% Viability	Storage temperature
BGA MSB	1,600 (297 g) 1,600 (297 g)	50+	20-Sep-2016	JRG444 Lake Eyre	1-Nov-2017	100%	-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.

Germination table:

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Date	Result	T0	T50	Pre-treatment \| Germination medium \| Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod
May-17	57%	14	49	seeds excised from fruit; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions
May-17	3%	49	NA	1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions

Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)

Northern Flinders (FLB05)	Flinders Lofty Block	Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) [edge of range, limited habitat]
Myall Plains (GAW01)	Gawler	Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [western limit]
Torrens (GAW06)		Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Roxby (GAW07)		Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Barrier Range (BHC01)	Broken Hill Complex	Least Concern [outlier]
Breakaways (STP01)	Stony Plains	Near Threatened [edge of range]
Murnpeowie (STP03)		Least Concern [grows on heavy clays]
Baltana (STP07)		Least Concern [grows on heavy clays]