Plants of
South Australia
Allittia uliginosa
Asteraceae
Small Swamp Daisy,
Wet-heath Daisy
Display all 18 images
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
Enlarge Map
Copy Map
Copy Map
Display IBRA region text

Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 2

Prior names

Brachycome uliginosa

Brachyscome uliginosa

Common names

Small Swamp Daisy

Wet-heath Daisy

Etymology

Allittia named after William Allitt (1828 - 1893), who collected herbarium specimens, including the new lectotype specimen of Brachyscome cardiocarpa, in the south-west of Victoria while he was curator of the botanic gardens at Portland from the 1860s to the 1880s. Uliginosa from Latin meaning moist or marshy, referring to where the species habitat.

Distribution and status

Found only on Kangaroo Island and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in swamps among heathland. Also found in Victoria. Native. Rare in South Australia. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
NRM regions: Kangaroo Island, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Perennial herb to 30 cm high, with no rhizomes. Stem very short, leaves all radical, sessile, narrowly oblanceolate, entire and sheathing at the base to 60 mm long and 6 mm wide, glabrous. Flowers large white to light purple daisy. Flowering between September and November. Fruits are large daisy heads with numerous seeds, usually turning brown when maturing. Seeds are flat, dark brown, ovoid  to 2 mm long, with serrated wings all around the margin. Seed embryo type is spathulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and January. Pick by hand, mature heads that are turning brown and contain semi-hard, brown seed inside. Place the heads in a tray to dry for 1-2 weeks. Then rub the heads 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. Seed viability is usually high. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB

2,800 (0.7885 g)
150+8-Nov-2006PJA141
South Eastern
BGA2,100 (0.45 g)200+7-Nov-2008PJA183
South Eastern
1-Jun-201070%-18°C
BGA6,400 (0.83 g)11-Nov-2008DJD1240
Kangaroo Island
1-Jan-2012100%-18°C
BGA1,600 (0.32 g)12-Oct-2011DJD2264
South Eastern
1-Nov-2017N/C-18°C
BGA15,500 (2.528 g)28-Sep-2021DJD4033
Kangaroo Island
7-Jul-202290%-18°C, -80°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:
  Display