Persoonia juniperina

Proteaceae

Prickly Geebung,

Geebung

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plant: Persoonia juniperum flowers Dry Creek NFR (2)

plant: Persoonia juniperina plant Macclesfield Cemetary

plant: Persoonia juniperina plant foliage Macclesfield Cemetary (5)

flower: Persoonia juniperum flowers Dry Creek NFR (5)

flower: Persoonia juniperum flowers Dry Creek NFR (1)

flower: Persoonia juniperum flowers Dry Creek NFR (12)

flower: Persoonia juniperina flower Macclesfield Cemetary

flower: Persoonia juniperina flower buds Macclesfield Cemetary (3)

fruit: Persoonia juniperinum fr Denzel Murfet Mt Jagged

fruit: Persoonia juniperinum frt Denzel Murfet Macclesfield

fruit: Persoonia juniperina fruit Macclesfield Cemetary (8)

$seed: Persoonia juniperina fracture line$

seed: Persoonia juniperina germinating seeds

seed: Persoonia juniperina germinating seed

dissected seed: Persoonia juniperina dissected woody drupes

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: 4

Common names

Prickly Geebung

Geebung

Etymology

Persoonia named after Christian Hendrik Persoon (1755 -1837), a South African born Dutch botanist, mycologist and author of Synopsis plantarum. Juniperina means juniper-like, referring to the species resembling plants from the genus Juniperus.

Distribution and status

Found in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the South-east in South Australia, growing in heathlands and heathy woodlands. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in New South Wales. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect to spreading spiky shrub to 2 m high, with hairy young branches. Leaves alternate, linear; to 30 mm long and 1.5 mm wide;, straight, rigid, pungent tip; bright green, glabrous to densely hairy when young. Inflorescence with yellow flowers, solitary, mostly in leaf axils. Flowering between December and February. Fruits are yellow-green to purplish fleshy ovoid fruit to 10 mm long and 8 mm wide.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between February and April. Collect fruits that are maturing, starting to turn from green and hard to yellowish or purple and soft. Place the fruits in a bucket of water and rub the flesh off with your hands. Drain the water and wash again if required to remove all the flesh. Then spread the wet seeds on some paper towel and leave to dry. 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. The viability of seed lots was increased by immersing seeds in water and removing the floating seeds. From two collections the viability of sinking seeds was 50% and 80%.

This species has physiological dormancy and is difficult to germinate. However, high levels of germination were observed after the woody endocarp was gently prised open along the fracture line to expose intact seeds. Germination levels were highest after treatment with gibberellic acid.

Germination research fro this species was supported by AMLR NRM in 2017.

Germination table:

Display

Date	Result	T0	T50	Pre-treatment \| Germination medium \| Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod
Feb-17	83%	35	56	30% hydrogen peroxide for 10 min, water rinse, endocarps opened along fracture lines, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid for 24 h; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Feb-17	55%	35	105	30% hydrogen peroxide for 10 min, water rinse, endocarps opened along fracture lines, leached in water for 24 h; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Feb-17	53%	28	96	30% hydrogen peroxide for 10 min, water rinse, endocarps opened along fracture lines, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid + 10% smoke water for 24 h; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Feb-17	15%	63	NA	endocarps selected with no visible fracture lines, 30% hydrogen peroxide for 30 min, leached in water 16 h then dried, dry heat 90Â°C oven for 20 mins; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Feb-17	5%	63	NA	endocarps selected with no visible fracture lines, 30% hydrogen peroxide for 30 min, leached in water 16 h then dried, dry heat 90Â°C oven for 20 mins, 10% smoke water for 24 h; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Feb-17	0%	0	NA	endocarps selected with no visible fracture lines, 30% hydrogen peroxide for 30 min, leached in water 16 h then dried, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid for 24 h; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Feb-17	0%	0	NA	endocarps selected with no visible fracture lines, 30% hydrogen peroxide for 30 min, leached in water 16 h then dried; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Feb-17	0%	0	NA	endocarps selected with no visible fracture lines, 30% hydrogen peroxide for 30 min, leached in water 16 h then dried, 10% smoke water for 24 h; moist sand; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions

Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)

Bridgewater (NCP01)	Naracoorte Coastal Plain	Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) [edge of range]
Glenelg Plain (NCP02)		Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Lucindale (NCP03)		Least Concern
Tintinara (NCP04)		Least Concern
Fleurieu (KAN02)	Kanmantoo	Near Threatened [scattered in small numbers]
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01)	Flinders Lofty Block	Near Threatened [not common in Mt Lofties]
Murray Mallee (MDD02)	Murray Darling Depression	Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii))
Lowan Mallee (MDD04)		Least Concern
Wimmera (MDD05)		Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii))