Plants of
South Australia
Scaevola spinescens
Goodeniaceae
Prickly Fanflower,
Spiny Fanflower
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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 paintings: 3

Prior names

Scaevola spinescens var. rufa

Scaevola lycioides

Scaevola oleoides

Crossotoma spinescens

Pogonetes spinescens

Common names

Prickly Fanflower

Spiny Fanflower

Etymology

'Scaevola' left handed and 'spinescens' becoming spiny

Distribution and status

Found across South Australia except for Kangaroo Island, the South East and Southern Mt Lofty regions. Grows in drier areas usually on hillsides or stony sites.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, 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

Rigid shrub to 2 m high. Leaves often clustered on branchlets, obovate to linear, 0.9�3.6 cm long, 1�6 mm wide, glabrous or finely tomentose. Flowers solitary in leaf axils, sepals fused into a rim 1 mm long, corolla 9�16 mm long, densely bearded inside with all simple hairs, white or cream occasionally with purple veins. Flowering most of the year. Fruits are fruit ovoid, 5�8 mm long, fleshy, glabrous, black or purplish Seed embryo type is straight

Seed collection and propagation

Seeds are best collected as they mature and fall from bush.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB		8,100 (168.9 g)
8,100 (168.9 g)		5023-Oct-2004MOL4570
Gairdner-Torrens		28-Mar-200680%-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.
We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.