Botanical art
Prior names
Templetonia muelleri
Bossiaea stenophylla
Common names
Leafy templetonia
Etymology
Templetonia named after John Templeton (1766-1825) of Belfast and a founding member of the Belfast Natural History Society. Stenophylla from the Greek 'stenos' meaning narrow and 'phylla' meaning leaf.
Distribution and status
Found in a restricted area around Bordertown with a few collections near Hartley. Also occurs in Queensland, New Wales and Victoria. Native. Very rare in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Murray, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Perennial shrub with many twiggy stems. Upper leaves are linear and lower leaves are narrow-oblong. Flowers are brown-yellow pea flowers at the base of leaves, appearing in winter and spring. Fruits are balloon-like pods with few seeds. Seeds are brown-orange ovoid seeds to 6 mm long, with a large aril at one end. Seed embryo type is investing.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between December and February. Collect mature pods when turning brown with hard seeds inside. Place the pods in a tray to dry for a week. Ensure the tray is covered with newspaper to prevent the seeds from popping out. Then rub the dried pods carefully 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 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 1,200 (17.94 g) | 40 | 2-Feb-2006 | HPV3018 South Eastern | |||
| BGA | 280 (3.58 g) | 30+ | 2-Dec-2004 | Wolsely Common South Eastern | 15-Feb-2011 | N/C | -18°C |
| BGA | 960 (16.1 g) | 100+ | 22-Nov-2011 | HPV3018 South Eastern | 1-Nov-2012 | 95% | -18°C |
| BGA | 740 (13.76 g) | 50 | 18-Dec-2008 | DJD1444 Murray | 1-Nov-2012 | 98% | -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.