Plants of
South Australia
Maireana microcarpa
Amaranthaceae
Small-fruit Bluebush,
Swamp Bluebush
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Arkaroola
Ceduna
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Hawker
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Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 2

Prior names

Kochia villosa var. microcarpa

Kochia microcarpa

Common names

Small-fruit Bluebush

Swamp Bluebush

Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist, Adolphe Lemaire and 'microcarpa,' meaning small-fruited.

Distribution and status

Found in low lying seasonally water-logged areas. Mainly recorded to the north and north east of Eyre Peninsula Native, common in South Australia and New South Wales, less common in Northern Territory and Queensland.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Weak shrub to 40 cm high with slender branches, white-woolly when young. Leaves alternate, obovoid, fleshy and glabrous. Flowers and fruits from May to November. Fruits are fruiting perianth glabrous, dark, rarely pale-brown on the wing; tube shortly cup-shaped, 1.5 mm high, c. 2 mm diameter. Simple, horizontal wing with a single radial slit. Seeds are ellipsoid to circular brown convex seed. Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between May and November. 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.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA2,000 (7.3 g)5020-May-2007RJB71997
Gairdner-Torrens		19-Sep-200860%-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.