Plants of
South Australia
Adriana quadripartita
Euphorbiaceae
Coast Bitter-bush
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: 7

Prior names

Trachycaryon klotzschii

Adriana klotzschii

Croton quadripartitus

Etymology

Adriana named after Adrien-Henri de Jussieu (1797-1853), a French botanist. Quadripartita from the Latin 'quadri' meaning four and 'partita' meaning parts, referring to the calyx with 4 sepals.

Distribution and status

Found in coastal regions of South Australia in sandy soil often associated with calcrete, in open or disturbed coastal areas. Uncommon on the West Coast of South Australia. Also found in Western Australia and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect open, much branched shrub to 3 m high. Leaves opposite, subsessile, lanceolate to 8 cm long and 2 cm wide. Separate male and female plants. Inflorescence a spike, male reddish, 25 flowered to 10 cm long and female first red then yellowish-green, 3-5 flowered to 5 cm long. Calyx of 4 ovate-lanceolate sepals yellow to green to 6 mm long and 2.5 mm wide. Flowers between June and February. Fruits are brown ovoid capsule to 10 mm long. Seeds are brown or mottled brown, ovoid to 6 mm long and 4 mm wide. Seed embryo type is spathulate.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and April. Collect ripe fruits when they become dull in colour and seeds are mature, hard. Keep a close eye on maturing fruit as it will open and release the seeds quickly. Place the fruits in a paper bag and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks, until they split. Then rub the capsules 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 can be variable and seeds are prone to predation. Seed viability can be average. This species has physiological dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
550 (12.73 g)
1,000 (23.73 g)
5018-Jan-2006DJD352
Southern Lofty
1-Aug-200665%-18°C
BGA860 (23.34 g)50+30-Jan-2013JRG49
South Eastern
27-Feb-201478%-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:
  Display