Botanical art
Etymology
Swainsona named after Isaac Swainson (1746-1812), an English scientist and horticulturalist who had a private botanic garden near London. Minutiflora from the Latin 'minutus' meaning very small and 'florus' meaning flower; referring to the species minute flowers.
Distribution and status
Endemic and restricted to gypseous stony plan in central South Australia. Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Lake Eyre
NRM region: South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small annual herbaceous plant with several stems radiating from a central tap root covered in dense hairs. Leaves 3-5cm long with 5-9 leaflets, glabrous above and hairy below. Flowers small, light pink 4-5 mm long. Fruits are long dark brown to black leathery pods to 20mm long and 3 mm wide covered in short hairs. Seeds are olive-green to brown reinform seed to 2mm with a wrinkled surface. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and October. Collect mature pods, dark brown or black with hard seeds. Mature pods can be found lying on the ground next to the plant containing hard seeds. Place the seed in a tray and leave to dry. When dried the pods can become hard and difficult to open. 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 one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%. This species has physical dormancy that needs 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 | 3,800 (7.39 g) | 50+ | 9-Oct-2010 | DJD1965 Lake Eyre | 1-Jan-2012 | 100% | -18°C |
BGA MSB | 4,600 (8.65 g) 4,600 (8.65 g) | 20+ | 7-Oct-2010 | TST1054 Lake Eyre | 1-Jan-2012 | 100% | -18°C |