Common names
Tothill Bush-pea
Etymology
Pultenaea named after Richard Pulteney (1730-1801), an English physician, botanist and biographer of Carl Linnaeus. Kraehenbuehlii named after Darrell N. Kraehenbuehl (1934-), a South Australian conservationist and botanist.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found only in the Tothill Range, growing in open grassland to open low woodland sometime dominated by Allocasuarina verticillata. Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Northern Lofty
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect to prostrate shrub to 2 m high with smooth grey-brown bark. Leaves alternate, to 9 mm long and 4 mm wide, orbicular to linear or obovate, straight, flat, widest point at or above the middle, smooth, apex acute to rounded, glabrous. Inflorenscences in dense clusters with yellow and orange pea-flowers. Flowering between August and September. Fruits are brown ovoid pod to 8.8 mm long. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and December. Collect maturing pods, those that are brown or turning brown and contain hard 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 | 2,100 (9.18 g) | 50+ | 29-Nov-2006 | DJD647 Northern Lofty |
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.