Botanical art
Prior names
Swainsona laxa var. rigida
Swainsona rigida
Etymology
Swainsona named after Isaac Swainson (1746-1812), an English scientist and horticulturalist who had a private botanic garden near London. Laxa from the Latin 'laxus' meaning loose or open.
Distribution and status
Found scattered in the north-eastern corner of South Australia in sandy soil especially on the upper slopes of sand-ridges. Also found in Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. Native. Common in South Australia. Uncommon in New South Wales. Common in other states.
Herbarium region: Lake Eyre
NRM region: South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Shrub-like herb to 2 m high. Leaves to 17 cm long with 11-19 leaflets; leaflets obovate or narrow-obovate to 27 mm long and 15 mm wide. Flowers racemes to 30 cm long with 15-20 yellow pea-flowers. Fruits are pale brown, thin papery pod to 25 mm long and 15 mm wide. Seeds are yellow brown reinform seed to 5 mm long and 3 mm wide with a smooth surface. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and November. Collect mature pods, those that are drying off and contain hard seeds. Mature pods can be found lying on the ground next to the plant. Place the pods in a tray and leave to dry for a week. When dried the pods become hard and difficult to open. 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 need 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 | 3,100 (32.28 g) 3,100 (32.28 g) | 20+ | 22-Oct-2007 | DJD912 Lake Eyre | 19-Sep-2008 | 95% | -18°C |