Botanical art
Etymology
Swainsona named after Isaac Swainson (1746-1812, an English scientist and horticulturalist who had a private botanic garden near London. Burkittii named in honour of Samuel Burkitt, a botanical collector.
Distribution and status
Found in red sandy or loamy soils on open plain or shrubland north of Spencers Gulf of South Australia. Also found in New South Wales. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. More common in New South Wales.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern
NRM region: South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
An erect or procumbent perennial herb to 1m high and often forming a bush with many hairy stems arising from the taproot. Leaves 8-15cm long with 7-30 leaflets with hairs on both sides. Flowers dark reddish purple. Fruits are paper pod 5-8 mm long and about as wide covered in hairs. Seeds are orange to yellow, semi-flat reniform seeds to 3mm long with a smooth and shiny surface. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. Collect mature pods. Mature pods can be found lying on the ground next to the plant containing hard seeds. Place the pods to dry and use a rubber bung to rub the pods or break the pods open with your fingers 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 two collections, the seed viability were high, ranging from 85% to 90%. This species has physical dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 3,500 (12.35 g) | 500+ | 27-Jan-2010 | KHB354 Flinders Ranges | 1-Jun-2010 | 85% | -18°C |
BGA | 4,400 (18.11 g) | 50+ | 13-Dec-2010 | KHB551 Flinders Ranges | 1-Jan-2012 | 90% | -18°C |