Plants of
South Australia
Abutilon otocarpum
Malvaceae
Desert Lantern,
Desert Lantern-bush,
Desert Chinese-lantern
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
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Rare
Vulnerable
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 2

Prior names

Kochia triptera var. pentaptera

Kochia decaptera

Common names

Desert Lantern

Desert Lantern-bush

Desert Chinese-lantern

Etymology

Abutilon from the Arabic 'aubutilun' used for mallow-like plant and quoted by the Arabian physician Avicenna as belonging to this or some allied genus. Otocarpum from the Greek 'otos' meaning ear and 'carpos' meaning fruit; referring to the fruitlets which are rounded at the top and ear-shaped.

Distribution and status

Found across South Australia except for the coastal areas and the South-east. Also found in all mainland states. Native. Common in South Australia. rare in Victoria. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Small compact or erect shrub to 60 cm high, covered with a dense velvety hairs. Leaves thick, ovate and covered in velvety hairs. Inflorescence solitary in upper axils with large yellow flowers. Flowers throughout the year. Fruits are papery capsule to 10 mm diameter composed of 10-20 pubescent fruitlets which are rounded at the top and ear-shaped. Seeds are dark brown, reniform to 3 mm long with a wrinkled surface. Seed embryo type is folded.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between January and December. Collect mature capsules, those that are turning pale straw colour and contain hard brown seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand 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. Seed viability is usually very high. This species has physical dormancy that needs 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
BGA 
MSB		10,500 (20.9 g)
10,500 (20.9 g)		50+25-Oct-2004MOL4613
Gairdner-Torrens		28-Mar-200690%-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.
We acknowledge the contributions of the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the Botanic Gardens of South Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water.