Botanical art
Prior names
Pultenaea fuscata
Common names
Mount Lofty Bush-pea
Etymology
Pultenaea named after Richard Pulteney (1730-1801), an English physician, botanist and biographer of Carl Linnaeus. Involucrata from the Latin 'involvere' meaning to wrap or having a wrapper; referring to the numerous bracts that surround the flowers.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found only in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges, growing in sclerophyll woodland in higher rainfall areas. Native. Uncommon in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Compact shrubs to 1 m high with stems covered in hairs. Leaves rather crowded, ovate-lanceolate to narrow-lanceolate, to 12 mm long, rigid, concave and glabrous above, with a distinct midrib on both faces, hair below and on margins. Inflorescence solitary yellow flowers to 8 mm long, at the end of very short leafy branchlets, each flower surrounded by numerous imbricate bracts, which gradually increase in size towards the calyx. Flowering between August and December. Fruits are hairy brown ovoid pod to 4 mm long. Seeds are dark brown with black mottled reniform seed to 2.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, with a cream aril. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. Collect maturing pods, those that are brown or turning brown and contain hard dark 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 1,500 (3.66 g) | 30 | 19-Dec-2007 | TST307 Southern Lofty | 100% |
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.