Plants of
South Australia
Sebaea ovata
Gentianaceae
Yellow Centaury,
Yellow Sebaea
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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 paintings: 4

Prior names

Exacum ovatum

Common names

Yellow Centaury

Yellow Sebaea

Etymology

Sebaea named after Albertus Seba (1665-1736), a Dutch apothecary and botanist. Ovata from Latin meaning egg-shaped; referring to the shape of the leaves.

Distribution and status

Found in the southern part of South Australia, growing in woodland and shrubland on seasonally wet, sandy or gravelly soils, but also in drier, recently burnt sites. Also found in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Queensland. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect annual herb to 30 cm high, stem usually simple below inflorescence. Leaves broadly ovate, to 12 mm long and 10 mm wide. Inflorescence in sparse to mid-dense terminal clusters with tubular, yellow flowers. Flowering between September and November. Fruits are brown ovoid septicidal capsule releasing seeds only through the apex. Seeds are small black diamond-shaped seed to 0.4 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, with deep wrinkles and mesh-like surface. Seed embryo type is spatulate under-developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October 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. Then rub the capsules with your fingers to dislodge all the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Be careful as the seeds are very small. 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, at 100%.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB
19,000 (0.36 g)		2530-Oct-2007RJB75530
South Eastern		100%
 
MSB
7,000 (0.24 g)		50+18-Nov-2015JRG245
Kangaroo Island		100%
BGA6,500 (0.065 g)100+2-Nov-2015DJD3208
Northern Lofty		2-May-2017100%-18°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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We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.