Botanical art
Prior names
Viola hederacea ssp. cleistogamoides
Common names
Hidden Violet
Shy Violet
Etymology
Viola from Latin for violet, referring to the violet genus. Cleistogamoides means having a cleistogamous (from the Greek Greek 'kleistos' meaning closed) mode of pollination; having small, unopened, self-pollinating flowers, usually in addition to the showier flowers.
Distribution and status
Found in the Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, ground on sand or skeletal soils in west heathland and woodland. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare 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
Perennial stoloniferous herb, glabrous or weakly pubescent withshort erect stems. Leaves tufted, glabrous or weakly pubescent, leaf-blade broadly ovate to ovate-rhomboid, margins with a few coarse teeth, tapering to the petiole. Flowers cream, often with a purplish tinge towards the centre on a short stalk. Flowering between October and January. Fruits are brown ovoid capsule to 4 mm long. Seeds are black ovoid seed to 2 mm long and 1.3 mm wide. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. Collect capsules that are maturing, drying and turning pale brown with brown seeds inside. Keep an eye on the capsules as they can ripen and split open quickly. Place the capsules in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds popping out and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules gently with your hands 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 average, at 55%. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 8,500 (5.1 g) | 50 | 3-Dec-2007 | RJB76060 Southern Lofty | 19-Sep-2008 | 55% | -18°C |