Botanical art
Common names
Oval-leaf Logania
Etymology
Logania, named after James Logan (1674-1751), an Irish born botanist who emigrated to North America, became Governor of Pennsylvania and wrote a book on the sexuality of plants. Ovata, from the Latin 'ovatus', meaning ovate, referring to the shape of the leaves.
Distribution and status
Found on the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, Kangaroo Island and the South-east in South Australia growing in near-coastal habitat in shrubland, or open Mallee on sandy loams to heavier clay-rich soils. Also found in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect shrub to 2 m high; dioecious; stems glabrous to minutely hairy. Leaves ovate to broadly ovate, to 25 mm long and 18 mm wide; glabrous to minutely hairy; flat, sessile or with very short stalk. Inflorescence a compact cluster of white unisexual flowers on long peduncles. Flowering between August and November. Fruits are orange-brown capsule to 6 mm long and 3 mm wide. Seeds are black convex seed to 1.6 mm long and 0.8 mm wide, with a reticulate surface. Seed embryo type is
Linear, fully-developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and January. Collect maturing capsules that are fat, turning orange-brown in colour, have not opened and contain hard black seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks to split. Rub the capsules gently 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 was average to high, ranging from 65% to 100%.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 15,000 (2.82 g) 15,000 (2.82 g) | 50 | 13-Dec-2006 | DJD730 Kangaroo Island | 1-Aug-2007 | 65% | -18°C |
| BGA MSB | 7,000 (1.9 g) 7,000 (1.9 g) | 15 | 29-Nov-2006 | DJD582 Yorke Peninsula | 1-Aug-2007 | 100% | -18°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.