Plants of
South Australia
Maireana pyramidata
Amaranthaceae
Shrubby Bluebush,
Black 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: 6

Prior names

Kochia pyramidata

Common names

Shrubby Bluebush

Black Bluebush

Etymology

'Maireana', after the 19th century French botanist, Adolphe Lemaire and 'pyramidata', pyramid-shaped

Distribution and status

Widespread in drier areas on calcareous or slightly saline, heavy soil
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Divaricately branched perennial shrub to 1.5 m high. Leaves alternate, spreading; sub-terete, acute, 2-6 mm long; shortly appressed-pubescent. Flowers predominantly unisexual, shortly woolly. Flowering all year round. Fruits are fruiting perianth brown to black when dry; tube sparsely hairy; horizontal wing 10–15 mm diam., faintly veined, with or without a radial slit; upper perianth columnar, 2–4 mm high, 5-lobed, softly hairy Seeds are seeds are brown and disc shaped, up to 1.5 mm diameter with overlapping embryo tip forming a small beak. Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and February. 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 100% on 1% w/v agar, 8/16 dark/light, 20°C. See http://data.kew.org/sid

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA2,000 (5.64 g)30+24-Sep-2013NRD13B
Murray		1-Jan-2016100%-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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We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.