Prior names
Logania nuda
Common names
Bare Logania
Leafless 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. Nuda from the Latin 'nudus' meaning bare, naked; referring to its reduced leaves making the plant appear leaf-less or naked.
Distribution and status
Found in the central part of South Australia, along a east-west line from the Nullarbor to the Murrayland, growing in mallee communities on sandy soils. Also found in Western Australia (under the new genus Orianthera), New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Rare in Victoria. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Eyre Peninsula, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect undershrub with rush-like stems to 1 m high, with many and opposite branches and striated stems, often ending in a weak spine, glabrous or minutely hairy. Leaves reduced to triangular scales, to 2 mm long. Inflorescence clustered in leaf axils with 1–3 hairy white, bisexual flowers. Flowering between October and February. Fruits are brown ovoid capsule to 5.5 mm long and 5-3 mm wide. Seeds are black convex seed, with a reticulated surface. Seed embryo type is linear under-developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between December and March. Collect maturing capsules, those that are fat, turning brown in colour, have not open and contain hard black seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks for it to split. Then 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 one collection, the seed viability was high, at 90%.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 1,000 (0.73 g) | 7-Dec-2005 | DJD297 Eyre Peninsula | ||||
| BGA | 15 (0.06 g) | 6 | 6-Dec-2005 | DJD290 Eyre Peninsula | 9-Aug-2006 | N/C | -18°C |
| BGA | 1,100 (0.79 g) | 30 | 9-Dec-2005 | DJD319 Eyre Peninsula | 9-Aug-2006 | 90% | -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.