Plants of
South Australia
Maireana melanocarpa
Amaranthaceae
Black-fruit 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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Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist, Adolphe Lemaire and 'melanocarpa', meaning black-fruited.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia; mostly recorded from the northern Flinders Ranges region with a few records further north. Native, Rare in South Australia
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Flinders Ranges, Eastern
NRM region: South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Branched shrub to approximately 50 cm; woolly branches with alternate, semi-terete woolly leaves. Glabrous flowers with woolly margins. Fruits and flowers from May to September. Fruits are fruiting perianth dark-brown to black when dry, with a simple, horizontal wing to 6 mm diameter, with prominent dark-brown venation and a single radial slit. 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. Germination may be inhibited by the fruiting perianth as levels increased after its partial removal.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB

1,000 (4.07 g)
1018-May-2007RJB71885
North Western
BGA1,600 (6.05 g)30+20-Dec-2012KHB726
Flinders Ranges
1-May-201954%-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.
Germination table:
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