Plants of
South Australia
Wahlenbergia gracilenta
Campanulaceae
Hairy Annual Bluebell,
Annual Bluebell
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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 paintings: 17

Prior names

Wahlenbergia quadrifida

Common names

Hairy Annual Bluebell

Annual Bluebell

Etymology

Wahlenbergia named by H.A Schrader in honour of Georg Göran Wahlenberg (1780-1851), a Swedish professor of botany. Gracilenta from the Latin 'gracilis' meaning slender; alluding to the species habit.

Distribution and status

Found many in the southern parts of South Australia, with scattered occurrences further north, growing on sandy or gravelly soils. Also found in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Annual, single- or few-stemmed herbs, hairy, with stems to 35 cm long, often unbranched below the inflorescence. Leaves opposite, becoming alternate up the stem, sometimes alternate throughout, to 40 mm long and 11 mm wide, obovate or broadly elliptical, becoming lanceolate up the stem, margins flat or sometimes undulate. Flowers terminal, blue or sometimes pink or white, funnel-shaped with 5 narrowly oblong lobes. Flowering between July and February. Fruits are brown ellipsoid to globose capsule to 7 mm long and 6 mm wide. Seeds are tiny orange-brown elliptic seed to 0.5 mm long and 0.2 mm wide. Seed embryo type is spatulate under-developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and March. Collect capsules that are maturing, drying and turning brown with brown seeds inside. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules gently with your hands to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate 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 stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB		2,800 (0.04 g)
4,300 (0.061 g)		50+26-Oct-2004DJD29
Gairdner-Torrens		28-Mar-2006100%-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.
We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.