Maireana pentagona

Amaranthaceae

Hairy Bluebush,

Slender Fissure-plant

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plant: Maireana pentagona p DEM10413 Moorook GR

plant: Maireana pentagona lf DEM10413 Moorook GR

plant: Maireana pentagona lf rear DEM10413 Moorook GR

flower: Maireana pentagona f DEM10413 Moorook GR

flower: Maireana pentagona fl DEM10413 Moorook GR

flower: Maireana pentagona flr DEM10413 Moorook GR

fruit: Maireana pentagona fruit Chowilla

fruit: Maireana pentagona fr DEM10413 Moorook GR

fruit: Maireana pentagona fr Denzel Murfet Chowilla GR

seed: Maireana pentagona RJB72086 seed (other side)

seed: Maireana pentagona DJD2287 1.6X Seeds

dissected seed: Maireana pentagona RJB72086 Longitudinal cut

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: 3

Prior names

Kochia pentagona

Common names

Hairy Bluebush

Slender Fissure-plant

Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist, Adolphe Lemaire and Greek 'penta', five, 'gona', angles

Distribution and status

Widespread, especially on heavier red and brown soils. Often found growing in large numbers on cracking grey clay River Murray floodplains. Rare in South Australia, common in Victoria and New South Wales, less common in Queensland and Western Australia.
Herbarium region: Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Prostrate or ascending perennial to 20 cm high. Leaves alternate, linear; 7-12 rarely to 20 mm long; appressed-villous. Flowers solitary, bisexual; densely woolly-villous. Flowering August - September. Fruits are fruiting perianth to 4 mm in diameter, covered with woolly hairs and with a central raised pentagonal area surrounded at its base by a narrow wing which is sometimes divided into 5 short truncate lobes. Seeds are ellipsoid to circular, convex brown seed. Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October 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. Approximately 50 % of seeds germinated with no treatment.

Seeds stored:

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Location	No. of seeds (weight grams)	Number of plants	Date collected	Collection number Collection location	Date stored	% Viability	Storage temperature
MSB	700 (1.09 g)	40-50	17-May-2006	PJA131 Murray
BGA	3,000 (10.21 g)	50	18-May-2007	RJB72086 North Western	19-Sep-2008	80%	+5°C, -18°C
BGA	3,000 (4.86 g)	50+	19-Oct-2011	DJD2287 Murray	1-Nov-2012	81%	-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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Date	Result	T0	T50	Pre-treatment \| Germination medium \| Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod
Jun-12	54%	12	35	leached in water 24 h; 1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Jun-12	52%	8	35	1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Jun-12	44%	12	NA	30% hydrogen peroxide 10 min, water rinse; 1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions

Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)

South Olary Plain (MDD01)	Murray Darling Depression	Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) (Probable Decline) [edge of range]
Murray Mallee (MDD02)		Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [needs wet habitat]
Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06)	Riverina	Rare (IUCN: RA b) (Probable Decline) [needs wet habitat]
Torrens (GAW06)	Gawler	Vulnerable (IUCN: VU D2) [limited habitat; River Murray sp.]