Botanical art
Prior names
Bassia articulata
Common names
Jointed Poverty-bush
Jointed Bindyi
Etymology
'Sclerolaena' from the Greek skleros, meaning hard; and chlaina, meaning covering; referring to the hard fruiting perianth covering the seed.
Distribution and status
Native with few records from South Australia
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Flinders Ranges, Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small rounded shrub to 0.4 m high, glabrous except for the woolly-pilose leaf axils. Slender leaves, 5-15 mm long. Fruiting perianth hard, erect and appressed to the branch; attachment very oblique. Fruits are hard fruiting perianth with 3 spines, spreading or recurved, slender, 2.5-5 mm long. Seeds are ellipsoid to circular, brown, convex seed Seed embryo type is periferal
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between August and September. Collect fruits when mature, check that well developed seed is present by dissecting some fruits before making a collection. Use gloves to protect from the spines. Shake or strip fruits into a vessel. Separate fruit from other plant material using a sieve.