Gentianella gunniana

plant: Gentianella gunnniana plant habit Picaninnie Ponds CP (17)

flower: Gentianella gunnniana flower Picaninnie Ponds CP

flower: Gentianella gunniana Pic Pond flower

flower: Gentianella gunnniana flower Picaninnie Ponds CP (12)

fruit: Gentianella gunniana fr Denzel Murfet Piccaninnie Ponds CP

fruit: Gentianella gunnniana seed pod Picaninnie Ponds CP (24)

seed: Gentianella gunniana DJD1752 Seeds

dissected seed: Gentianella gunniana DJD1752 embryo

seedling: Gentianella gunniana TST1450 seedling

Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.

Least concern

Near threatened

Rare

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct

Data deficient

Adelaide

Arkaroola

Ceduna

Coober Pedy

Hawker

Innamincka

Marla

Marree

Mount Gambier

Oodnadatta

Renmark

Wudinna

Keith

Yunta

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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1.

Etymology

Gentianella from the genus Gentiana, named after King Gentius, 6th century king of Illyria, who ordered the roots of the yellow gentian for medicinal use against the plague, and the diminutive suffix 'ella' meaning smaller. Gunniana named after Ronald Campbell Gunn (1808-1881), a British botanist and legislator in Launceston, Tasmania.

Distribution and status

Currently known only from one location in South Australia, in the lower South-East growing on limestone in open areas in low heath. Also found in Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Very rare in South Australia. Presumed extinct in Victoria. Uncommon in Tasmania.
Herbarium region: South Eastern
NRM region: South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect annual herb to 30 cm tall with a basal rosette of lance-shaped leaves and paired linear leaves along the copper-coloured stems. Flowers are white with purple veins on the inside, appearing in spring. Fruits are brown capsules. Seeds are small brown round seed to 0.8 mm diameter with a round depression on one side. Seed embryo type is spathulate under-developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and December. Collect mature capsules as they dry off and turn brown. They should contain hard brown seeds inside. Place the capsules in a tray for a week. Ensure you cover the tray with paper to prevent the seeds popping out. Then rub the capsules with your fingers to dislodge all 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%.

Seeds stored:

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Location	No. of seeds (weight grams)	Number of plants	Date collected	Collection number Collection location	Date stored	% Viability	Storage temperature
BGA	2,800 (0.27 g)	20	10-Nov-2009	DJD1752 South Eastern	1-Jun-2010	95%	+5°C, -18°C
BGA	8,300 (0.79 g)	60+	18-Nov-2008	DJD1335 South Eastern	1-Jan-2012	100%	+5°C, -18°C
BGA	1,700 (0.15 g)	20+	28-Nov-2011	DJD1335 South Eastern	1-Jan-2016	100%	-18°C
BGA	2,200 (0.31 g)	30+	24-Nov-2018	DJD3689 South Eastern	24-Apr-2019	100%	-18°C
BGA	10,300 (1.25 g)	30	24-Jul-2019	DJD3689 South Eastern	24-Jun-2020	100%	-18°C, -80°C
BGA	7,600 (0.85 g)	100	15-Nov-2017	DJD3689 South Eastern	24-Jun-2020	100%	-18°C, -80°C

Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
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.

Germination table:

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Date	Result	T0	T50	Pre-treatment \| Germination medium \| Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod
Jul-09	76%	19	32	1% agar with 250 mg/L gibberellic acid (pH 6.5); Incubated under winter conditions
Jul-09	40%	76	NA	1% agar; 24; / 5Â°C
Jul-09	40%	53	NA	cold stratification at 5Â°C 6 weeks; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions
Jul-09	35%	53	NA	cold stratification at 5Â°C 6 weeks; 1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Jul-09	28%	53	NA	cold stratification at 5Â°C 6 weeks; 1% agar; 12/12; / 20Â°C
Jul-09	0%	NA	NA	1% agar with 100 mg/L potassium nitrate; Incubated under winter conditions
Jul-09	0%	NA	NA	1% agar; / 6 weeks winter, 6 weeks spring/autumn.
Jul-09	0%	NA	NA	1% agar; 24; / 20Â°C
Jul-09	0%	NA	NA	1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions
Jul-09	0%	NA	NA	1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions

Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)