Botanical art
Prior names
Tecoma oxleyi
Tecoma pandorana
Bignonia pandorana
Pandorea australis, nom. illeg., nom. superfl.
Pandorea doratoxylon
Tecoma doratoxylon
Tecoma australis, nom.illeg., nom.superfl.
Common names
Wonga Vine
Spearwood
Etymology
Pandorea named after Pandora's box. Spach, the author of the name, is said to have been reminded of it when he saw the seed pod. Pandorana named after the Greek goddess Pandora, in reference to the seed capsule's resemblance to Pandora's box.
Distribution and status
Found in the far north-western corner of South Australia, growing in rocky areas along water courses. Also found in all States. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Tasmania (Flinders Island). Uncommon in Western Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium region: North Western
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Glabrous vine to 6 m high, with many ascending wiry stems and other branches twining around them. Leaflets in 2-5 pairs; narrow-lanceolate, to 50 mm long and 10 mm wide, broader and sometimes longer outside arid regions. Flower-spikes several to many-flowered with funnel-shaped flowers, cream with red-brown markings inside the broad open tube. Flowering between August to November. Fruits are dark brown oblong-ellipsoid, somewhat compressed, capsule to 70 mm long and 20 mm wide, with thick woody valves. Seeds are orange, semi-flat ovoid seed to 10 mm long and 7 mm wide, with papery wing.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and December. Collect capsules that are maturing, turning brown and contain hard, orange seeds inside or capsules that are split but have not released their seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks or until they split. Then break and shake 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 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 MSB | 4,000 (47 g) 3,300 (40 g) | 30+ | 30-Oct-2013 | TST1184 North Western | 24-Mar-2015 | 100% | -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.