Botanical art
Prior names
Crotalaria dissitiflora var. eremaea
Crotalaria dissitiflora
Common names
Bluebush Pea
Downy Loose-flowered Rattle-pod
Etymology
Crotalaria from the Greek 'crotalon' meaning a rattle, castanet, referring to the sound the dried seed pods make when shaken. Eremaea from the Greek 'eremaios' a poetic word for solitary, referring to the flowers being terminal on shoots.
Distribution and status
Found in the north-east corner of South Australia growing in sandy soil. Also found Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Soft wooded shrubs to 1 m high; densely grey-tomentose. Leaflets commonly oblong, 1 or often 3, the laterals if present reduced and sometimes very small or, if approaching the terminal in shape, very rarely more than half its length; all rather thin, not obviously wrinkled on drying; densely to sparsely pubescent but always with some hairs on the upper surface, the hairs appressed to spreading and usually denser below than above. Flowers loosely spaced in terminal racemes with yellow pea-flowers. Flowering mainly between August and September. This subspecies differs from Crotalaria eremaea ssp. strehlowii by being hairy. Fruits are pale brown narrow-obovate pod to 30 mm long and 7 mm. Seeds are orange renform seed to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide with a smooth surface. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and November. Collect mature pods, those that are fat, turning brown and contain hard seeds. Place the pods in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then use a rubber bung to rub the pods or break the pods open with your fingers 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. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 95%. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 2,000 (48.8 g) 1,950 (48 g) | 100+ | 1-Oct-2007 | MJT136 Lake Eyre | 19-Sep-2008 | 95% | -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.