Plants of
South Australia
Rhagodia preissii ssp. preissii
Amaranthaceae
Green Saltbush,
Mallee 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 painting: 1

Prior names

Chenopodium preissii

Common names

Green Saltbush

Mallee Saltbush

Etymology

Greek 'rhagos' berry, 'rhagodes' resembling berries and 'preissii' after the 19th century Australian plant collector Johann August Ludwig Preiss

Distribution and status

Found on coastal sand dunes, limestone, red sand, loam, clay, sandy clay, sometimes saline soils.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula
NRM regions: 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

Spreading shrub, 0.6-2 m high. Leaves linear to narrowly obovate, leathery, 3-4cm long. Inflorescence a pyramidal panicle 5 cm long; flowers spherical, 1 mm in diameter, green, yellow, white. Flowering June - December. Fruits are berry depressed-spherical, 3 mm, red, fleshy when mature Seeds are seed, black, depressed-globose, 1.5 mm in diameter, testa with faint radial ribbing Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and December. Collect when fruits are red and fleshy. Dry fruits thoroughly, as they are prone to rotting. Germination 80% on 1% w/v agar, 8/16 dark/light, 20°C. See http://data.kew.org/sid

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
40,000 (42.32 g)
40,000 (42.32 g)
40+28-Oct-2004MOL4662
Gairdner-Torrens
28-Mar-200695%-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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