Plants of
South Australia
Brachyscome melanocarpa ssp. melanocarpa
Asteraceae
Black-seed Daisy,
Black-fruit Daisy,
Black-seed Dasiy
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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 painting: 1

Prior names

Brachyscome melanocarpa

Brachycome melanocarpa

Common names

Black-seed Daisy

Black-fruit Daisy

Black-seed Dasiy

Etymology

Brachyscome from the Greek 'brachys' meaning short and 'kome' meaning hair; referring to the short bristles or hairs of the pappus. Melanocarpa from the Greek 'melanos' meaning black and 'carpos' meaning fruit; referring to the colour of the fruit.

Distribution and status

Found along the Murray River north of Blanchetown and Lake Eyre region in South Australia, growing on heavy clay soils subject to winter flooding. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in Victoria. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Perennial herb to 45 cm high with erect to ascending, pubescent stems. Basal leaves cuneate to oblanceolate, shallowly lobed, to 7 cm long and 2 cm wide, soon withering. Other leaves narrowly cuneate, irregularly dentate to 5.5 cm long and 1 cm wide, glandular-pubescent. Flowers white to violet daisy appearing between September and October. Fruits are brown daisy heads. Seeds are black ovoid seed to 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, covered with warts. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and December. Pick heads that are maturing, drying off, with brown seeds that dislodge easily. Place the seed-heads in a tray and leave to dry for a week. Then gently rub the heads 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.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA14,900 (2.88 g)100+23-Apr-2011DJD2180
Murray
1-Jan-201288%+5°C, -18°C
BGA1,600 (0.33 g)40+9-Nov-2011DJD2306
Murray
1-Nov-201283%-18°C
BGA4,200 (0.74 g)26-Aug-2011DJD2180
Murray
1-Nov-201288%-18°C
BGA1,850 (0.39 g)40+14-Dec-2011MJT370
Murray
1-Nov-201282%-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.