Prior names
Amaranthus macrocarpus
Amaranthus macrocarpus ssp. macrocarpus
Common names
Dwarf Amaranth
Large-fruit Amaranth
Boggabri Weed
Etymology
Amaranthus from the Greek 'a' meaning not and 'marantos' meaning withering, a name used for an everlasting flower. Macrocarpus from the Latin 'macros' meaning large and 'carpos' meaning fruit.
Distribution and status
Few collections from the Innamincka and Murray regions in South Australia, growing on floodplain. Also found in Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in Northern Territory and Victoria. Uncommon in Queensland. Common in New South Wales.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Eastern, Murray
NRM regions: South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Prostrate to decumbent, glabrous annual with stems to 40 cm long. Leaves long-petiolate, elliptic to obovate to 20 mm long and 15 mm wide. Flowers unisexual, in axillary clusters. Flowering between December and March. Fruits are dark brown to black spongy, narrowly ovoid fruit. Differ from the other variety Amaranthus macrocarpus var. pallidus which has a pale straw coloured fruit. Seeds are semi-flat ovoid, black seed to 1.2 mm long and 0.8 mm wide. Seed embryo type is peripheral.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between March and May. Collect mature capsules, those that are turning black and contain hard seeds. Whole stem containing many clusters of fruit can be collected. Place the capsules/stems in a tray and leave to dry for two weeks. Then rub the capsules/stems gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Be very careful as the seeds are very 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 one collection, the seed viability was high, at 95%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 54,000 (16.74 g) | 50+ | 13-May-2008 | RJB77873 Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 95% | -18°C |