Botanical art
Prior names
Swainsona fissimontana var. coarctata
Etymology
Swainsona named after Isaac Swainson (1746-1812, an English scientist and horticulturalist who had a private botanic garden near London. Fissimontana from the Latin 'fissi' meaning split and 'montana' meaning of the mountain; referring to Broken Hill, near the location where the type specimen was collected.
Distribution and status
Found in stony, sandy or clay-loam soils on plan or hill-slopes in the northern Flinders Ranges and northward in South Australia. Also found in New South Wales. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in New South Wales.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eastern
NRM regions: Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect or ascending perennial herb to 50cm high with a number of hairy stems arising from a rootstock. Leaves mostly 4-6cm long with 7-13 hairy narrow-elliptic to elliptic leaflets. Flowers pink to dark-purple with 3�11 flowers on a stalk. Fruits are pod elliptic, mostly 15�25 mm long, black and covered with hairs. Seeds are dark brown, mottled, semi-flat reniform seeds to 3mm long with a wrinkled surface. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and November. Collect mature pods, those turning black and contain hard seeds. Mature pods can be found lying on the ground next to the plant. Place the pods in a tray and leave to dry for a week. When dried the pods can become hard and difficult to open. Use a rubber bung to rub the pods or break the pods open with your fingers 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).
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 2,900 (10.63 g) 2,900 (10.63 g) | 21-Oct-2008 | DJD1163 Eastern | 20-Jul-2009 | 100% | -18°C | |
BGA | 3,400 (9.03 g) | 50+ | 25-Nov-2010 | KHB442 Flinders Ranges | 1-Jan-2012 | 90% | -18°C |