Plants of
South Australia
Sclerolaena blackiana
Amaranthaceae
Black's Copperburr,
Black's Bindyi
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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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Prior names

Bassia blackiana

Common names

Black's Copperburr

Black's Bindyi

Etymology

'Sclerolaena' from the Greek skleros, meaning hard; and chlaina, meaning covering; referring to the hard fruiting perianth covering the seed; 'blackiana' after JM Black, botanist and author of the 'Flora of South Australia' first published in four volumes from 1922 to 1929.

Distribution and status

Mainly restricted to the Lake Eyre region, a few records from Queensland and New South Wales. Rare in South Australia, suspected of being at risk nationally.
Herbarium region: Lake Eyre
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Rounded herb to 30 cm high; branches loosely woolly; leaves 5-20 mm long. Flowers solitary, perianth woolly. Fruits are fruiting perianth woolly or glabrous, tube barrel-shaped, c. 2 mm high, spines 5, 0.5-1.5 mm long, recurved. Seed embryo type is peripheral

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds by stripping off the spiny fruits, wear gloves to protect from the spines. Remove twigs, leaves and other material using a sieve. Leave fruits to dry before storage.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA10,500 (49.42 g)50+3-Sep-2013MJT432
Lake Eyre
24-Mar-201585%+5°C, -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.