Plants of
South Australia
Calandrinia brevipedata
Montiaceae
Short-stalked Purslane
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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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Prior names

Parakeelya brevipedata

Calandrinia cygnorum

Common names

Short-stalked Purslane

Etymology

Calandrinia named after Jean-Louis Calandrini (1703-1758), a Swiss scientist, professor of mathematics and philosophy. Brevipedata from the Latin 'brevis' meaning short and 'pedatum' meaning like a foot, possible referring to the short pedicel on the flower..

Distribution and status

Found scattered on Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the South-east of South Australia, growing on coastal sand dunes. Also found in Western Australia. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Ground hugging or sprawling fleshy annual herb with flowering stalk to 30 cm long. Leaves basal and on the flower stems, alternate, oblanceolate, stalk-less to 40 mm long and 5 mm wide, reddish when exposed to the sun, or green when growing protected under shrubs. Inflorescence an open spike with white to pale pink flowers scattered along the stem. Flowering between August and November. Fruits are pale brown oblong-cylindrical capsule to 5 mm long with 3-valves opening at the apex, releasing numerous seeds. Seeds are shiny black reniform-ovoid seed to 1.1 mm long and 1 mm wide, with a smooth surface. Seed embryo type is peripheral.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and January. Collect mature capsules, those that are turning a red-brown colour and contain dark seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. 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 is usually high.

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

2,900 (0.81 g)
3031-Oct-2007RJB75372
South Eastern
100%
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.