Botanical art
Prior names
Sclerothamnus microphyllus
Eutaxia empetrifolia
Common names
Common Eutaxia
Eggs-and-bacon
Etymology
Eutaxia from the Greek 'eu' meaning well and 'taxis' meaning arrangement in row; referring to the regular arrangement of leaves. Microphylla from the Greek 'micros' meaning small and 'phyllon' meaning leaf; referring to the small leaves of the species.
Distribution and status
Found across the southern part of South Australia, growing in mallee, heath and woodland communities. also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in Tasmania. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Variable shrub, often low dense and intricate or erect, stems usually glabrous. Leaves opposite, linear to linear-oblong, to 2.5 mm long and 1mm wide, glabrous. Flowers axillary, single or paired, 6-10 mm long, yellow, purple to red. Flowering between August and November. Fruits are brown obovoid pod to 5 mm long, very swollen. Seeds are brown to black reniform seed to 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, dull, with the aril off-centre. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and February. Collect maturing pods, those brown or turning brown and contain hard black seeds inside. Place the pods in a paper bag and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the pods with a rubber bung 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 two collections, the seed viability were average to high, ranging from 75% to 95%. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate. The seed coat needs to be ruptured so that water can enter the seed before germination can occur. Methods to rupture the seed coat include scarification with sand paper or nicking the seed coat with a sharp blade or hot water treatment by immersion in boiling water.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 2,300 (4.29 g) 2,300 (4.29 g) | 11 | 16-Nov-2004 | DJD36 Southern Lofty | 31-Mar-2006 | 95% | -18°C |
| BGA | 3,000 (5.3 g) | 50 | 2-Dec-2004 | DJD60 South Eastern | 31-Mar-2006 | 75% | -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.