Plants of
South Australia
Maireana ciliata
Amaranthaceae
Hairy Bluebush,
Hairy Fissure-plant
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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
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Wudinna
Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1

Prior names

Kochia ciliata

Common names

Hairy Bluebush

Hairy Fissure-plant

Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist, Adolphe Lemaire and 'ciliata', meaning fringed with hairs.

Distribution and status

Found in open shrubland. Recorded in inland areas, mainly in the eastern half of the State. Native, common. Mostly recorded in South Australia but also found in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Decumbent to erect perennial shrub up to 10 cm high, with a woody base. Branches slender and woolly, with alternate, silky leaves to 10 mm long. Flowers covered in long soft hairs, often congested into spikes. Flowering from April to November Fruits are perianths pentagonal in outline, approximately 3 mm diameter; horny and covered with soft silky hairs. Five prominent ribs extending to the margins of the wing. Seeds are ellipsoid to circular, convex brown seed Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between April and November. Collect dry fruits. Check that they contain well developed seeds before making a collection. Shake or strip fruits into a vessel. Remove twigs and other plant material.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB		9,200 (28.64 g)
9,200 (28.64 g)		25-Aug-2008DJD1104
Lake Eyre		1-Jan-201270%-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.
We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.