Botanical art
Common names
Creeping Darling-pea
Creeping Darling Pea
Etymology
Swainsona named after Isaac Swainson (1746-1812), an English scientist and horticulturalist who had a private botanic garden near London. Viridis from the Latin 'viridis' meaning green; referring to the green appearance of the plant.
Distribution and status
Found in dry sandy or stony areas, on the banks or in the creek beds with the main distribution on the eastern side of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Also found in New South Wales. Native. Rare in South Australia. Very rare in New South Wales.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
A prostrate perennial herb to 10cm high with numerous stems arising from a taproot. Leaves 1-6cm long 5-13 obovate leaflets. Flowers small, purple at the end of a long stalk. Fruits are long narrow black pod to 35mm long with a stiff texture. Seeds are dark brown, semi-flat reniform seeds to 2mm long with a wrinkled surface. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between March and December. Collect mature pods, black with hard seeds inside. Mature pods can be found lying on the ground next to the plant containing hard seeds. When dried the pods can 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 two collections, the seed viability were high, ranging from 80% to 85%. 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 | 3,900 (7.8 g) 3,900 (7.8 g) | 30 | 31-Mar-2010 | DJD1815 Eastern | 1-Jun-2010 | 85% | -18°C |
| BGA | 7,900 (21.49 g) | 25+ | 23-Nov-2010 | KHB490 Flinders Ranges | 1-Jan-2012 | 80% | -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.