Plants of
South Australia
Cynanchum floribundum
Apocynaceae
Native Pear,
Desert Cynanchum
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
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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: 2

Common names

Native Pear

Desert Cynanchum

Etymology

Cynanchum from the Greek 'kyon' meaning a dog and 'anchein' meaning to choke; alluding to supposed poisonous properties of some European species. Floribundum from the Latin 'flora' meaning flower and 'bundum' meaning plenty.

Distribution and status

Found in the north-eastern part of South Australia, growing on sandy soils, along drainage lines and dunes. Also found in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in New South Wales. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Shrubs with twining branches to 1 m high, new growth pubescent. Leaves ovate to narrow-lanceolate, to 90 mm long and 30 mm wide, apex long-acuminate, base cuneate to cordate, glabrous, mostly with 2 basal glands, petiole to 30 mm long. Inflorescence axillary or terminal with 2-12 creamy above, greenish to purplish below flowers. Flowering and fruiting between March and November. Fruits are pale brown ovoid capsule to 5 cm long, pubescent, thin-walled, splitting into two. Seeds are brown ovoid seed to 6 mm long and 4 mm wide with long dense pappus.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between August and November. Collect fruits that are maturing, fat, hard, turning pale brown and contain fluffy seeds. Place the fruit in a tray and leave to dry for at least two weeks until it split. Then shake the fruits to release the seeds. No further cleaning is required. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB

2,150 (38.05 g)
50+1-Oct-2007MJT135
Lake Eyre
85%
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.