Common names
Tiny Goodenia
Etymology
Goodenia named after Samuel Goodenough (1743-1827), an Bishop of Carlisle, an amateur botanist and collector and vice-president of the Royal Society. Micrantha from the Greek 'micros' meaning small and 'anthos' meaning a flower; referring to its very tiny flowers compared to other specie.
Distribution and status
Found only in one location on the western end of Kangaroo Island in South Australia, growing in open damp sandy flats with dense layer of native annual herbs. Also found in Western Australia. Native. Very rare in South Australia. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium region: Kangaroo Island
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Tiny annual herb to 15 cm high. Leaves hairy, flat, to 12 mm long and 0.6 mm wide. Flowers very small, yellow with the corolla to 4 mm long. Flowering between September and December. Fruits are small reddish brown globular capsule. Seeds are flat black ovoid seed to 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide with a tuberculate surface and yellow wing around the outer edge. Seed embryo type is spatulate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. Collect capsules that are maturing, turning brown, easily split open and with black seeds inside. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules with your hands 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, at 100%.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 3,100 (1.38 g) | 100+ | 16-Dec-2008 | TST637 Kangaroo Island | 20-Jul-2009 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C |
| BGA | 16,800 (7.260 g) | 50+ | 13-Jan-2021 | DJD3932 Kangaroo Island | 28-Jun-2021 | 100% | -18°C, -80°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.