Plants of
South Australia
Sigesbeckia australiensis ssp. australiensis
Asteraceae
Cobber Weed,
Australian Sigesbeckia
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
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Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
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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: 5

Prior names

Sigesbeckia australiensis

Sigesbeckia microcephala

Common names

Cobber Weed

Australian Sigesbeckia

Etymology

Sigesbeckia named after Johann Georg Siegesbeck (1686-1755), a German physician, botanist, director of the Botanical Gardens at St Petersburg and an opponent of the Linnean system. He named this small-flowered, unpleasant-smelling, weedy genus after him. following their bitter rivalry. Grows in mud. Australiensis means of or from the south, referring to the distribution of the species in the Southern hemisphere.

Distribution and status

Found in the south-central and far north-western parts of South Australia, growing on shallow stony soils on hillslopes in drier inland habitats. Also found in the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Southern Lofty
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect herb to 80 cm high with slightly pubescent, brownish stems. Leaves lanceolate to elliptic, to 90 mm long and 25 mm wide, in remote pairs; sessile or with a short petiole, pubescent; veins prominent. Inflorescence in dense clusters (capitula) of sessile yellow flowers to 10 mm diameter, with outer involucral bracts linear to oblanceolate, to 7 mm long; pubescent, with minute non-glandular hairs. Flowers in spring. Fruits are globular fruit with a number of seed segments in terminal clusters. Seeds are blackish. slightly angled seed to 3 mm long.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and December. Collect fruit that are maturing, turning yellow and fat with hard seeds. Place the fruit in a tray and leave to dry for 1-2 weeks or until it begin to split. Then rub the dried fruit to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate any unwanted material. 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.