Common names
Beautiful Cress
Etymology
Carinavalva from the Latin 'carina' meaning keel and 'valva' meaning a valve; referring to the keeled valves of the silicula. Glauca from the Latin 'glaucus' meaning bluish; alluding to the appearance of the plant or the colour of the flowers.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found in the north and north-east parts of the state, growing in flood out areas. Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Lake Eyre
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect annual herb to 30 cm tall, glaucous and glabrous with leaves to 6 cm long, pinnatisect, with 3-6 pairs of pinnae. Sepals to 5 mm long and petals narrow-linear to lanceolate, to 15 mm long, green-yellow. Fruits are pale brown, flattened ovoid capsule to 11 mm long and 6 mm wide. Seeds are small orange-brown flat reniform seeds to 1 mm long and 0.7 mm wide. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between August and October. Collect maturing capsules those turning pale brown with orange seeds inside. Be gentle with the pods as they split open easily. Place the capsules in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds from popping out and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the dried pods 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 two collections, the seed viability were high, at 100%. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 226,300 (37.57 g) | 200+ | 6-Sep-2013 | MJT446 Lake Eyre | 24-Mar-2015 | 100% | -18°C |
| BGA | 122,100 (20.27 g) | 6-Sep-2013 | DJD2712 Lake Eyre | 7-Jul-2022 | 100% | -18°C | |
| BGA MSB | 6,000 (1.21 g) 6,000 (1.21 g) | 50+ | 25-Sep-2008 | DJD1114 Lake Eyre | 7-Jul-2022 | 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.