Botanical art
Common names
Milky Beauty-heads
Etymology
Calocephalus from the Greek 'kalos' meaning beautiful and 'kephale' meaning a head, referring to the colourful compound heads. Lacteus from the Latin 'lac' meaning milky, referring to the white bracts that surround the flowers.
Distribution and status
Known only from one area in the South-east in South Australia (with historic collections from the Adelaide area), growing in grassy, low-lying areas subject to inundation, tolerating a degree of salinity. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Very rare in South Australia. Rare in Tasmania and New South Wales. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Ascending perennial herb to 70 cm high with hairy branches. Leaves opposite, or the uppermost ones alternate, obovate to oblanceolate or linear, to 5 cm long and 4.5 mm wide, tomentose; the midrib and often two lateral veins prominent. Daisy heads whitish, globular, ellipsoid to ovoid, to 1.5 cm long. Flowering between November and February. Fruits are dense round white to greyish-white head. Seeds are three-sided brown seed to 2 mm long and 1 mm wide with dense tuberculate surface. Seed embryo type is spatulate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and April. Collect heads that are matured, greyish-white, a bit spongy and contain brown seeds. Place the heads in a tray for one to two week to dry. Then rub the heads gently with your hands to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate any unwanted material. Viable seeds will be small and brown. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seed viability is usually high. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 18,500 (2 g) 18,500 (2 g) | 50+ | 10-Apr-2006 | DJD398 South Eastern | 14-Sep-2006 | 95% | +5°C, -18°C |
| BGA | 8,400 (0.85 g) | 40+ | 3-Apr-2007 | DJD781 South Eastern | 1-Aug-2007 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C |
| BGA | 7,600 (0.8 g) | 6 | 23-Feb-2008 | RJB77421 South Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 90% | +5°C, -18°C |
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.