Botanical art
Common names
Stinking Thread-petal
Nodding Thread-petal
Etymology
Stenopetalum from the Greek 'stenos' meaning narrow and 'petalon' meaning petals; referring to the narrow petals. Nutans from the Latin 'nuto' meaning nodding; alluding to the nutant fruit pods.
Distribution and status
Found scattered in the northern part of South Australia, growing in sandy soils. Also found in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South wales. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Eyre Peninsula
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Annual or biennial herbs, decumbent to erect, to 50 cm tall, sparsely hairy. Leaves entire or remotely dentate to pinnatifid, to 9 cm long, reducing above. Inflorescence a terminal spike with yellow-green or brown flowers, petals with the apex long, slender and often twisted. Flowering between July and September. Fruits are brown obovoid pod to 13 mm long, sometimes slightly compressed, hanging downward. Seeds are orange flat reinform seed to 1.5 mm long and 1.2 mm wide. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and November. Collect maturing pods those turning pale brown with orange seeds inside. Be gentle with the pods as they split open easily. Place the pods in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds from popping out and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the dried pods 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 100%.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 11,000 (7.07 g) 11,000 (7.07 g) | 60 | 26-Oct-2004 | MOL4633 Gairdner-Torrens | 28-Mar-2006 | 100% | -18°C |