Prior names
Epaltes tatei
Etymology
Haegiela named after Laurence Arnold Robert Haegi (1952- ), an Australian botanist and plant collector. Tatei named after Ralph Tate (1840-1901), Professor of Natural Science, Adelaide.
Distribution and status
Found along the coast from Fowlers Bay to the Coorong in South Australia growing in saline, often gypseous habitats and often growing in samphire flats or low chenopod shrubland. Also found in Western Australia and Victoria. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, South Eastern
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small annual herb to 8 cm high with branches ascending to erect. Leaves ovate, lanceolate, obovate or linear, to 7 mm long and 2 mm wide; glabrous or cobwebbed. Flower-heads to 3 mm diameter with white-yellow flowers. Flowering between August and November. Fruits are pale brown head. Seeds are brown ellipsoid to ovoid seed to 0.6 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, covered in fine tubercules. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and January. Collect heads or whole plants that are pale brown or turning brown. Each head should have numerous tiny seeds. Place the heads in a tray for a week to dry. Then rub the heads gently with your hands to dislodge the seeds. Use a fine sieve to separate the seeds from the unwanted material. Be careful as the seeds are very small. 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 100%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 143,000 (3.55 g) | 100+ | 15-Oct-2009 | DJD1615 Yorke Peninsula | 1-Jun-2010 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C |