Waterwort
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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
Display IBRA region text
| Mount Gambier (SVP02) | Southern Volcanic Plain | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii); D2) (Probable Decline) [habitat under threat of drying up] |
| Glenelg Plain (NCP02) | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii); D2) (Probable Decline) |
| Lucindale (NCP03) | | Endangered (IUCN: EN B2ab(i,ii,iii)) (Probable Decline) [habitat deteriorating] |
| Tintinara (NCP04) | | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU D2) [Mt Monster; edge of range] |
| Kangaroo Island (KAN01) | Kanmantoo | Rare (IUCN: ) |
| Fleurieu (KAN02) | | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2b(i,ii,iii)c(i,ii)) (Probable Decline) [likes granite "gnamma holes"; very habitat specific; threats: use of water, draining land, climate change] |
| Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01) | Flinders Lofty Block | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU D2) [likes granite "gnamma holes"; very habitat specific] |
| Broughton (FLB02) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) [occurs in dams or where flooded] |
| Southern Flinders (FLB04) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) [occurs in dams or where flooded] |
| Northern Flinders (FLB05) | | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii); D2) (Probable Decline) [climate sensitive] |
| Central Flinders (FLB06) | | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii); D2) (Probable Decline) [climate sensitive] |
| St Vincent (EYB02) | Eyre Yorke Block | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) [occurs in dams or where flooded] |
| Eyre Hills (EYB03) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [spread by birds] |
| Eyre Mallee (EYB05) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [spread by birds] |
| Murray Mallee (MDD02) | Murray Darling Depression | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)) (Probable Decline) [not often seen] |
| Murray Lakes and Coorong (MDD03) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
| Lowan Mallee (MDD04) | | Endangered (IUCN: EN D) [highly restricted] |
| Wimmera (MDD05) | | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii); D2) (Probable Decline) |
| Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06) | Riverina | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) [easily missed] |
| Myall Plains (GAW01) | Gawler | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [spread by birds] |
| Breakaways (STP01) | Stony Plains | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Murnpeowie (STP03) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Witjira (STP06) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Mann-Musgrave Block (CER01) | Central Ranges | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Watarru (CER02) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Mount Gambier (SVP02) | Southern Volcanic Plain | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii); D2) (Probable Decline) [habitat under threat of drying up] |
| 3 of 4 subregions | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Vulnerable , Endangered |
| 2 of 2 subregions | Kanmantoo | Rare , Vulnerable |
| 5 of 6 subregions | Flinders Lofty Block | Rare , Vulnerable |
| 3 of 5 subregions | Eyre Yorke Block | Rare |
| 4 of 6 subregions | Murray Darling Depression | Rare , Vulnerable , Endangered |
| Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06) | Riverina | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) (Probable Decline) [easily missed] |
| Myall Plains (GAW01) | Gawler | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [spread by birds] |
| 3 of 7 subregions | Stony Plains | Rare |
| 2 of 3 subregions | Central Ranges | Rare |
Botanical art
Kath Alcock paintings: 5
Prior names
Elatine americana var. australiensis
Common names
Waterwort
Etymology
Elatine a Greek name of a plant, perhaps a hairy toad-flax. Gratioloides means resembling the genus Gratiola (from the Latin 'gratia dei' meaning grace of god, the medieval name for a species used in medicine).
Distribution and status
Found scattered across South Australia, growing in or on the margins of stationary or slow-flowing water to 40 cm deep. Also found in all states. Native. Rare in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Aquatic annual with erect stems when submerged, sometimes forming mats up to 2 m across. Leaves ovate to oblong, to 10 mm long and 5 mm wide, larger in submerged plants. Flowers 1 per leaf pair, to 2 mm diameter, white to pink. Flowering between September and January. Fruits are red to brown capsule to 3 mm with a terminal depression. Seeds are brown reinform seed to 0.7 mm long and 0.2 mm wide, with hexagonal pits. Seed embryo type is linear.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between February and December. Collect stems with maturing capsules, those that are fat, drying off and contain brown seeds. Place the stems in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the plant especially the capsules gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a fine sieve to separate the unwanted material. Be very careful as the seeds are very small. 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. From three collections, the seed viability were average, ranging from 60% to 75%.
| Location | No. of seeds
(weight grams) | Number
of plants | Date
collected | Collection number
Collection location | Date
stored | % Viability | Storage
temperature | | BGA | 900 (0.04 g) | 20 | 31-Oct-2007 | RJB75541
South Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 60% | -18°C |
| BGA | 145,000 (2.09 g) | | 22-Feb-2008 | RJB77408
South Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 75% | +5°C, -18°C |
| BGA | 11,000 (0.25 g) | 40 | 18-Nov-2010 | DJD2049
South Eastern | 1-Jan-2012 | 75% | -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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