Botanical art
Prior names
Adriana urticoides var. hookeri
Croton urticoides
Trachycaryon hookeri
Adriana hookeri
Common names
Water-bush
Mallee Bitter-bush
Etymology
Adriana named after the French botanist Adrien de Jussieu (1797-1853). Tomentosa from the Latin 'tomentum' meaning covered with fine, matted hairs, referring to the matted hairs covering the whole plant. Hookeri named after Sir William Jackson Hooker, 19th century botany professor & director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.
Distribution and status
Found across the northern part of South Australia with isolated populations in the Nullarbor and upper Eyre Peninsula. Also found in all other mainland States. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Eyre Peninsula, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Ascending shrub to 2 m high and 2 m diameter, with reddish stems, sparsely or densely covered in hairs. Leaves alternate on 5-30 mm long petioles, lamina oblong or ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate to 7 cm long, rounded or cuneate, sparsely wavy to distantly crenate-toothed, often obtusely tri lobed, hairy.
Species consist of male and female plants. Male spikes to 17cm long, with up to 30 flowers. Female spikes to 5 cm long with l-7-flowers. Flowering between July and January. Fruits are brown, hairy ovoid capsule to 9 mm long. Seeds are brown or mottled brown, ovoid seed to 8 mm long and 5 mm wide. Seed embryo type is spathulate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and March. Collect ripe fruits when they become dull in colour and seeds are mature, hard. Place the fruits in a paper bag and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks, until they split. 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 species has physiological dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 350 (14.43 g) | 23-Oct-2007 | MJT123 Lake Eyre | 1-Jan-2012 | -18°C |