Plants of
South Australia
Maireana brevifolia
Amaranthaceae
Small-leaf Bluebush,
Short-leaf Bluebush
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 5

Prior names

Suaeda tamariscina

Kochia tamariscina

Enchylaena tamariscina

Kochia brevifolia

Common names

Small-leaf Bluebush

Short-leaf Bluebush

Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist, Adolphe Lemaire and Latin 'brevis', short, 'folia', leaves

Distribution and status

Usually found on slightly saline soil; often recorded in open mallee. Distributed through the Eyre, Yorke and Fleurieu Peninsulas, Murraylands and Flinders Ranges. Native. Common in Victoria, New South Wales and the SW of Western Australia. Mostly recorded in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect, short-lived, perennial shrub to 1.5 m high. Leaves alternate, fleshy; obovoid to narrow-fusiform; 2-5 mm long, glabrous. Flowers solitary; glabrous apart from the woolly ciliate lobes. Flowering January - October. Fruits are fruiting perianth glabrous; tube shallowly hemispherical; thin-walled, 2 mm in diameter; wings 5, horizontal, thin, fan-shaped, 2-3 mm long, with delicate brown venation when dry; perianth lobes thick and fleshy, sharply demarcated from the wings. Seeds are circular, brown, convex seeds Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between December and February. Collect seeds when fruits are brown and papery. Check inside several fruits for the presence of well-developed seed before making a collection. Strip or shake fruiting branches into a container. Remove twigs and other plant material. 65% and 84% viability in two collections Germination levels varied from 12% to 86%.

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		24,600 (29.54 g)
24,600 (29.54 g)		259-Mar-2005MKJ85
Southern Lofty		28-Mar-200665%-18°C
BGA 
MSB		11,600 (17.4 g)
11,600 (17.4 g)		3012-Feb-2005MKJ82
Southern Lofty		28-Mar-200665%-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.