Plants of
South Australia
Maireana decalvans
Amaranthaceae
Black Cotton-bush
Display all 11 images
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
Enlarge Map
Copy Map
Copy Map
Display IBRA region text

Prior names

Kochia villosa var. tenuifolia

Enchylaena decalvans

Kochia tomentosa var. tenuifolia

Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist, Adolphe Lemaire and 'decalvans', meaning balding or becoming hairless.

Distribution and status

Found in heavy, seasonally waterlogged soil. Recorded in the Mount Lofty Ranges and in Danggali Conservation Park, Murray region. Endangered in South Australia. Also recorded in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Herbarium regions: Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Bushy shrub to 50 cm high. Slender branches; woolly or glabrous; often woolly in the leaf axils. Leaves slender, alternate 5-8 mm long; fleshy and glabrous. Flowers solitary, glabrous. Flowering November to May. Fruits are fruiting perianth glabrous with a simple, horizontal thin wing with a single radial split. Seeds are ellipsoid to circular brown, convex seed. Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and May. Collect seeds when fruits are brown and papery. Check inside several fruits for the presence of well developed seed before making a collection. Strip or shake fruiting branches into a container. Remove twigs and other plant material. Varied, between 40 - 70 % from 4 collections Germinates readily with no treatment.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
32,300 (51.8 g)
32,300 (51.8 g)
3011-Feb-2005MKJ83
Southern Lofty
28-Mar-200670%+5°C, -18°C
BGA1,300 (1.83 g)2011-Feb-2005MKJ81
Southern Lofty
28-Mar-200645%-18°C
BGA 
MSB
1,700 (3.41 g)
1,700 (3.41 g)
612-Feb-2005MKJ84
Southern Lofty
28-Mar-200675%-18°C
BGA1,300 (3.05 g)3-Feb-2011J.Quarmby
Southern Lofty
1-Jan-201240%-18°C
BGA4,000 (9.81 g)41-Jun-2015J.Quarmby
Southern Lofty
1-Jan-201670%-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.