Plants of
South Australia
Styphelia exarrhena
Ericaceae
Desert Styphelia,
Desert Heath,
Beard-heath Styphelia
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Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 5

Prior names

Styphelia pusilliflora

Styphelia hirtella

Styphelia exarrhena var. hirtella

Leucopogon intermedius

Leucopogon hirtellus

Leucopogon hirtellus var. glabrifolius

Leucopogon exarrhenus

Common names

Desert Styphelia

Desert Heath

Beard-heath Styphelia

Etymology

Styphelia from the Greek 'styphelos' meaning hard or rough; alluding to the stiff prickly-pointed leaves. Exarrhena unsure of meaning.

Distribution and status

Found on Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the upper South-east in South Australia, growing in mallee scrub, coastal shrublands and heathlands on sandy soils over limestone. Also found in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect shrub to 60 cm high with grey stems. Leaves erect or spreading, ovate, to 9.5 mm long and 4.9 mm wide, flat to convex, thick, apex often down-turned, surfaces glabrous or sparsely velvety above, margin flat to slightly recurved. Inflorescence erect, solitary or 2 close together in a much reduced spike with white densely bearded flowers. Flowering between April and August. Fruits are ellipsoid fruit to 2.5 mm long, with a thin fleshy layer and woody endocarp with a number of sections, each with one seed. Seeds are soft, white longitudinal seed, within the woody endocarp. Seed embryo type is linear underdeveloped.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between July and October. Collect individual fruit by hand when ripe, fleshy layer soft and a pale colour. Check to see if locules are filled with seed by cutting the woody endocarp in half. The thin fleshy layer does not need to be cleaned off for storage, just leave it to dry for one to two weeks before storing with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. If you do want to clean the flesh off, then place the berries in a bucket of water and leave to soak over night. Rub the flesh off by hand. Drain and wash again if required to remove all the fleshy parts. Then spread the wet seeds onto paper towels and leave to dry. 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. Seeds have morphophysiological dormancy and will not germinate readily without treatment. Germination is enhanced by treating with fire cues, heat and smoke water, and gibberellic acid.