Common names
Ooldea Guinea-flower
Etymology
Hibbertia, named after George Hibbert (1757-1837), a London merchant who maintained a private botanic garden at Chelsea. Crispula, from the Latin 'crispus' meaning sinuous or curly, wavy, referring to the curly hairs on the inner side of the leaf-base.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found only in two locations around Ooldea and Lake Everard, growing on red sand. Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small wiry shrub; glabrous except for a minute curly tomentum on the inner side of the leaf-base; to 50 cm high. Leaves terete, sometimes clustered, to 45 mm long and 1 mm wide; 1-furrowed above by the incurved margins. Flowers yellow, large, sessile or rarely shortly stalked. Flowering between August and September. Fruits are brown ovoid capsule with 3 carpels and 4-6 ovules in each; glabrous.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and November. Collect mature capsules that are turning a pale straw-colour and contain brown seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the 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. This genus tends to have low seed viability. This species has morpho-physiological dormancy and can be difficult to germinate.