Plants of
South Australia
Atriplex spongiosa
Amaranthaceae
Pop saltbush,
Tjilyi-tjilyi
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
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Extinct
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
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Oodnadatta
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Wudinna
Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 3

Prior names

Atriplex holocarpa var. spongiosa

Senniella spongiosa var. amoena

Senniella spongiosa

Common names

Pop saltbush

Tjilyi-tjilyi

Etymology

Atriplex from the Latin 'atriplexum' meaning an orach, a saltbush; an Ancient Latin name for this plant. Spongiosa from the Greek 'spongos' meaning a sponge, alluding to the globular fruit.

Distribution and status

Found across much of the arid part of South Australia north of Port Augusta, usually in somewhat saline soil. Also found in all mainland states. Native. Common in South Australia. Very rare in Victoria. Common in all other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Rounded annual or short-lived perennial shrub to 30cm high. Leaves elliptic, broadly elliptic or ovate to 2cm long; acute to obtuse; entire to sinuate-dentate (or rarely deeply serrate); narrowed at the base into a short petiole or sessile, scurfy on both surfaces. Male and female flowers on the same plant. Flowers of both sexes present in axillary glomerules. Fruits are pale-brown spongy, ovoid fruit to 6mm long with a thin, loosely scurfy texture, supported on a network of fibrous veins. Seeds are pale-brown, reniform seed to 2mm long and 1.5mm wide. Seed embryo type is peripheral.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and December. Collect fruits that are starting to turn pale-brown and drying off. Fruits can be collected directly from the bush or from the ground underneath. Place the fruits in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. No cleaning is required if only the fruits are collected. The seed can be stored in the fruit or can be clean further. Rub the fruit gently by hand 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 70%.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA36,000 (91.78 g)508-May-2007RJB71740
Lake Eyre		1-Jan-201630%-18°C
BGA10,000 (102.45 g)5020-May-2008RJB72022
Gairdner-Torrens		1-Jan-201690%-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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We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.