Plants of
South Australia
Maireana cannonii
Amaranthaceae
Cannon's Bluebush
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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: 3

Prior names

Kochia cannonii

Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist Adolphe Lemaire and 'cannonii', after ? Cannon

Distribution and status

Often recorded in clay or clay-loam soils associated with flood plains, lakes or creeks. Recorded in the Flinders Ranges and Arid Lands regions of South Australia. Native, locally common, endemic to South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula
NRM regions: Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Small shrub, with many woolly branches. Leaves opposite, sessile. Flowers densely pubescent. Flowers and fruits from September to April. Fruits are perianth with dish shaped tube; simple horizontal circular-shaped wing, with a single radial slit. Seeds are ellipsoid to circular, brown, convex seed Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and April. Collect dry fruits. Check that they contain well developed seeds before making a collection. Shake or strip fruits into a vessel. Remove twigs and other plant material.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
4,700 (10.7 g)
4,700 (10.7 g)
50+11-Jul-2017JRG582
Eyre Peninsula
30-Jun-201855%-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.