Plants of
South Australia
Micrantheum demissum
Phyllanthaceae
Dwarf Micrantheum
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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
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Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 3

Prior names

Allenia blackiana var. microphylla

Micrantheum demissum var. microphyllum

Allenia blackiana

Etymology

Micrantheum, from the Greek 'mikros', meaning small and 'anthos', meaning flower. Demissum, from the Latin 'demissus', meaning humble, low-lying or drooping, possible referring to the species' dwarf habit.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and found on the southern Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and the southern Mount Lofty Ranges,growing in drier woodlands or heathlands. Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Dwarf dense shrubs 30 cm tall, with slender hairy stems. Leaves on very short stalk, arranged in 3's (rarely in 4's or 5's);lanceolate to ovate, to 8 mm long and 3.5 mm wide, flat; smooth above with margins thickened with stiff long and short white hairs. Inflorescence axillary, with small pale pink flowers. Flowering between April and October. Fruits are red ovoid capsule to 7 mm long with 2-cells, each with 1 seed; glabrous. Seed embryo type is spatulate, fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between August and November. Collect individual capsules by hand, that are plump, red and contain dark, hard seed. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then gently rub the capsules with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieves 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.

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

1,100 (6.15 g)
14-Dec-2005DJD322
Southern Lofty
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.