Botanical art
Prior names
Alyogyne pinoniana var. pinoniana
Hibiscus pinonianus
Common names
Sand Hibiscus
Ngalyinpi
Etymology
Alyogyne from the Greek 'alytos' meaning undivided and 'gyne' meaning woman, referring to the undivided style. Pinoniana (unknown meaning).
Distribution and status
Found in the western part of South Australia growing on sand dunes and sandy plains. Also found in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Flinders Ranges
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect shrub to 3 m high covered in dense hairs. Leaves grey, hairy, orbicular, to 7 cm long and 4 cm wide with 3-5-lobes and margins crenate. Inflorescence large solitary pink to mauve with a deep maroon to purple centre flower. Flowering between June and January. Fruits are hairy brown papery globular to ellipsoid capsule containing numerous hairy seeds. Seed embryo type is folded.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and March. Collect capsules that are drying off and starting to turn brown. The seed inside should be brown and hard. Place the capsules into a tray and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules 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. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).