Plants of
South Australia
Androcalva loxophylla
Malvaceae
pudi-pudi,
Pur#ar-pur#arpa
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
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Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Prior names

Rulingia loxophylla

Commersonia loxophylla

Commersonia kempeana

Rulingia kempeana

Common names

pudi-pudi

Pur#ar-pur#arpa

Etymology

Androcalva from the Greek 'andros' meaning a male and 'calvus' meaning bald, hairless; referring to the glabrous staminodes present in this genus. Loxophylla from the Greek 'loxos ' meaning slanting and 'phyllos ' meaning a leaf; thought to refer to the oblique base on the leaves, a characteristic common to all species in the genus.

Distribution and status

Found in the northern part of South Australia, mainly in the north-west and north-east corners, with disjunct and isolated records further south. Grows in open mulga, low woodland with scattered eucalypts, in swale of desert dunes with hummock grassland or in open shrubland in sandplain with lateritic red loam, granite rock areas, and is occasionally recorded in dry creek beds. Also found in Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. Native. Uncommon in South Australia but more abundant after fire. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Shrub with spreading or semiprostrate branches, to 50 cm high and much broader than high. Younger branches densely covered in stellate hairs. Leaves oblong-lanceolate to broad-elliptic, entire to serrate, sometimes undulate, with a slightly impressed midrib and other veins, with flat margins, densely stellate-tomentose below but less so or subglabrous above, pale below, to 50 mm long and 25 mm wide. Inflorescence dense cluster with 20 small yellow flowers. Flowering between August to October. Fruits are hairy brown globular capsule to 3 mm diameter, with 5 valves, splitting when matured and contain numerous seeds. Seed embryo type is spathulate.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and December. Capsules can be collected prior to splitting as long as the seeds inside are hard and dark. Place the capsules in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds being lost when explosively 'popping' out. Leave to dry for at least a week. Rub the dried capsules by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a dessicant such as dried silica beads or dry rice in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. These seeds have physical dormancy and can be germinated after pre-treatment such as scarification, nicking or hot water. The pre-treatments remove/breach the physical barrier for moisture uptake.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA520 (0.99 g)7023-Oct-2007MJT149
Lake Eyre
19-Sep-200860%-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.