Botanical art
Prior names
Acrotriche subcordata, nom.illeg.
Styphelia ovalifolia
Acrotriche ovalifolia
Styphelia cordata
Common names
Coast Ground-berry
Blunt-leaf Ground-berry
Etymology
Acrotriche from the Greek 'akron' meaning summit and 'thrix' meaning hair, alluding to the tuft of hairs at the tip of the corolla lobes. Cordata from the Latin 'cordatus' meaning heart-shaped, referring to the shape of the leaves.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia, from the Eyre Peninsula to the South-east growing in coastal shrublands, mallee scrub and heath on sandy soils and limestone. Also found in Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Victoria and Tasmania. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect shrub to 100 cm high and 120 cm across. Young branches red-brown, with older stems grey or grey-brown. Leaves glabrous, thick, rigid, usually flat to 12 mm long and 5 mm wide with 3 parallel central veins. Flowers small, pale-green along a 5-8 mm long spikes. Flowering between July and September. Fruits are fleshy, green, smooth spherical to depressed-globular fruit. Seeds are slightly compressed, pale cream, woody, globular to 3 mm with and 2 mm high. Seed embryo type is linear underdeveloped.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and December. Collect berries that are ripe with soft flesh and a hard seed inside. Place the berries in a bucket of water and rub the flesh off with your hands. Drain the water and wash again if required to remove all the flesh. Then spread the wet seeds on some paper towel 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. Seed viability can be medium to high. This species is generally difficult to germinate, it has morphophysiological dormancy and complex germination requirements.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 466 (6.21 g) | 50+ | 25-Nov-2004 | DJD47 Southern Lofty | 1-Sep-2005 | 90% | -18°C |
| BGA MSB | 1,300 (11.6 g) 1,300 (11.6 g) | 20+ | 20-Nov-2005 | DJD691 Murray | 1-Aug-2007 | 65% | -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.