Plants of
South Australia
Veronica derwentiana ssp. homalodonta
Plantaginaceae
Mount Lofty Speedwell,
Derwent Speedwell
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
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Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Prior names

Derwentia derwentiana ssp. homalodonta

Common names

Mount Lofty Speedwell

Derwent Speedwell

Etymology

Veronica possibly named after Saint Veronica, a nun who died in Milan in 1497. Alternatively from the Latin 'vera' and 'icon' meaning true image. This is in reference to the legend of the miraculous imprint of the face of Christ on a headcloth that Saint Veronica offered Christ on his way to crucifixion. Derwentiana means of or from the Derwent River in south-eastern Tasmania; referring to where the species was first collected from. Homalodonta from the Greek 'homalos' meaning smooth, flat and 'odous' meaning tooth; referring to the flat toothed leaves.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia. Found in the wetter parts of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Native. Very rare in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
NRM region: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect perennial shrub to 2 m tall with many stems arising from the base. Leaves are green, lance-shaped with serrations along the edges and arranged in pairs. Flowers are pale mauve along a long flower spike, appearing in late spring and summer. Fruits are brown capsules along a fruit-spike, containing numerous small seeds. Seeds are small brown seeds to 1 mm long with a wrinkled surface. Seed embryo type is linear fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between January and April. Either collect the seed capsules by running your fingers along the spike or break the whole fruit-spike off. Collect capsules that are brown but have not split with brown seeds inside. Place the seed capsules or spike in a tray and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules gently by hand or with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Be careful as the seed are small. 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 11 collections, the seed viability were high, ranging from 95% to 100%. This species has morphophysiological dormancy that can be overcome to promote germination.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
5,400 (1.15 g)
5,750 (1.21 g)
516-Feb-2005DJD116
Southern Lofty
28-Mar-200695%-18°C
BGA16,500 (3.48 g)35-Apr-2005DJD125
Southern Lofty
28-Mar-200695%-18°C
BGA3,600 (0.76 g)227-Mar-2005DJD124
Southern Lofty
8-Aug-200690%-18°C
BGA2,000 (0.44 g)127-Mar-2005DJD126
Southern Lofty
8-Aug-2006100%-18°C
BGA1,476 (0.31 g)3027-Mar-2005DJD121
Southern Lofty
8-Aug-2006100%-18°C
BGA8,700 (1.38 g)1422-Feb-2007DJD767
Southern Lofty
1-Aug-2007100%+5°C, -18°C
BGA1,600 (0.47 g)416-Apr-2008KHB150
Southern Lofty
19-Sep-2008100%+5°C, -18°C
BGA200 (0.054 g)215-Mar-2010Mt Bold - east side
Southern Lofty
1-Jun-2010100%-18°C
BGA250128-Feb-2010KHB370
Southern Lofty
1-Jun-2010N/C-18°C
BGA4,400 (2.3 g)318-Feb-2010Cherryville
Southern Lofty
1-Jun-201095%-18°C
BGA250 (0.055 g)211-Mar-2010Mt Bold - Track27A
Southern Lofty
1-Jun-2010100%-18°C
BGA200 (0.057 g)121-Feb-2010Hadrians Gully
Southern Lofty
1-Jun-2010100%-18°C
BGA3,000 (0.22 g)18-Mar-2009PJA197
Southern Lofty
1-Jan-201295%-18°C
BGA2,400 (0.22 g)85-Mar-2008PJA171
Southern Lofty
1-Jan-201292%-18°C
BGA17,000 (4.87 g)30+12-Apr-2011KHB560
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-2012100%+5°C, -18°C
BGA6,280 (1.947 g)125-Mar-2012KHB662
Southern Lofty
1-Nov-2012100%+5°C, -18°C
BGA2,500 (0.6 g)516-May-2011KHB583
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020 -18°C
BGA400 (0.054 g)91-Apr-2020TST1440
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020N/C-18°C
BGA3,300 (0.49 g)5016-Apr-2019DJD3887
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020100%-18°C
BGA1,700 (0.28 g)427-Mar-2020K.H.Brewer
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020100%-18°C
BGA1,500 (0.26 g)124-Mar-2020K.H.Brewer
Southern Lofty
24-Jun-2020100%-18°C
BGA4,750 (1.52 g)713-Apr-2011KHB561
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-2021100%-18°C
BGA17,300 (2.05 g)2016-Apr-2019DJD3888
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-202195%-18°C, -80°C
BGA6,100 (1.24 g)301-Apr-2020TST1439
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-2021100%-18°C
BGA30,900 (6.5 g)205-Apr-2005DJD127
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-2021100%+5°C, -18°C
BGA6,000 (0.98 g)17-Mar-2005Ivan Proberts
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-202195%+5°C, -18°C
BGA1,200 (0.220 g)51-Apr-2020JJS15
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-202195%-18°C
BGA33,900 (11.370 g)29-Apr-2021J.J.Smith
Southern Lofty
28-Jun-2021100%-18°C, -80°C
BGA3,500 (0.59 g)41-Jan-2010Wirra Birra - Ironbank
Southern Lofty
7-Jul-2022100%-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.
Germination table:
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