Botanical art
Prior names
Helipterum hyalospermum
Hyalosperma variabile
Hyalosperma strictum
Hyalosperma glutinosum, partly
Helipterum variabile
Common names
Golden Sunray
Etymology
Hyalosperma, from the Greek 'hyalos', meaning glass and 'sperma', meaning a seed, referring to the transparent wing of the achenes. Glutinosum from the Latin 'gluten', meaning glue, alluding to the resinous secretion covering the Type specimen.
Distribution and status
Found in central South Australia growing on sand in exposed situations or on a wide variety of soils
in woodlands and shrublands. Also found in Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Annual herb to 20cm tall or sprawling; glabrous or sparsely cottony. Leaves alternating up the stems, to 16 mm long and 1mm wide; cylindrical, sparsely hairy to hairless; tips blunt. Flower-heads bell- or funnel-shaped becoming hemispherical;borne singly at the end of the stems with yellow daisy flowers. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are dense yellow or pale-brown papery head. Seed embryo type is spathulate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and January. Collect heads or whole plants that are drying off and 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. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.