Plants of
South Australia
Swainsona canescens
Fabaceae
Grey swainsona,
Grey Swainson-pea
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Hawker
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 2

Prior names

Cyclogyne canescens

Swainsona canescens var. horniana

Common names

Grey swainsona

Grey Swainson-pea

Etymology

Swainsona named after Isaac Swainson (1746-1812, an English scientist and horticulturalist who had a private botanic garden near London. Canescens is Latin for becoming hoary (white or greyish in colour).

Distribution and status

Found in the arid part of South Australia, northwest of Port Augusta. Also occurs in Western Australia and Northern Territory. Common in South Australia. Common interstate.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula
NRM regions: Alinytjara Wilurara, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect spreading shrub to 50cm tall with green leaves covered in white hairs. Stems are thick and covered in dense white hairs. Purple, pink or yellow pea-flowers, densely covering an erect stalk and appearing in winter and spring. Fruits are dark hairy pods to 25mm long and 6mm wide. Seeds are brown (some with black spots) reniform seeds to 4mm long with a wrinkled surface. Seed embryo type is bent.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and December. Collect pods that are matured or those drying off with hard brown seeds inside. Place the pods in a tray and leave to dry for 1-2 weeks. Then rub the pods with a rubber bung 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 90% to 100%. This species has physical dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA380 (0.68 g)20-Nov-2005BS94-4999
North Western
7-Aug-200690%-18°C
BGA1,800 (4.62 g)2-Nov-2009DJD1687
Eyre Peninsula
1-Jun-2010100%-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.