Prior names
Caesia lateriflora, partly
Common names
Sand Lily
Etymology
Corynotheca from the Greek 'coryne' meaning club and 'thece' meaning a box; referring to the club-shaped fruit.
Distribution and status
Found from Lake Gairdner west to the border and in the Murray region in South Australia, growing in low rainfall areas on sandy plains. Also found in Northern Territory, New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Murray, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Perennial herb to 70cm tall, leaves annual. Leaves at the base of the plant, to 60cm long, linear, flat or folded together lengthwise, hairless. Flower-spike divaricate, with numerous branches to 70 cm high, in clusters of 2�6 white to pale yellow flowers. Flowering between September and November. Fruits are green ovoid or club-shaped capsule to 7.5 mm long, containing a few seeds. Seeds are black ovoid seed to 5 mm long and 2.5 mm long, with fine striation on the surface. Seed embryo type is linear fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and February. Collection capsules (can be green) that are fat and contain hard black seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry forone to two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. 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 From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 88%.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 240 (0.41 g) | 1 | 11-Jan-2012 | MJT368 Murray | 1-Nov-2012 | 88% | -18°C |
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.