Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1.

Etymology

Stellaria from the Latin 'stella' meaning a star and 'aria' meaning connected with; an allusion to the radiating, deeply bifid petals. Angustifolia from the Latin 'augusta' meaning narrow and 'folium' meaning a leaf. Tenella means small, delicate, tender; alluding to the habit of this variety.

Distribution and status

Found on Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in in moist areas around swamps, rivers, lakes or dams often found growing in muddy or grassy areas after water has receded Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in Tasmania and New South Wales. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Perennial or annual glabrous herbs with stems and branches usually in clumps, to 10 cm long. Leaves dense, narrow-linear, to 4 mm long. Flowers white, solitary and axillary. Flowering between October and December. Fruits are brown ovoid capsule. Seeds are dark brown reniform seed to 1 mm long and 0.8 mm wide, covered in dense wrinkles or net-like surface. Seed embryo type is peripheral.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between December and February. Collect capsules that are maturing, fat and turning brown and contain hard dark seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand or with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Seeds should be hard and brown. 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.