Botanical art
Common names
Muntries
Pink Buttons
Etymology
Kunzea, named in honour of Dr. Gustav Kunze (1793-1851), a professor of medicine and botany in Leipzig, Germany who worked on Preiss' collection of Australian plants from 1844 to 1848. Pomifera, from the Latin 'pomum' meaning apple and 'ferre', meaning to bear, alluding to the species bearing small apple-like fruits.
Distribution and status
Found on Yorke Peninsula, Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo island and the South-east in South Australia, growing on sandy soil, often with limestone. Also found in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Spreading perennial shrub with prostrate stems. Leaves are ovoid and green. Stems are reddish in colour. Flowers are a creamy colour, in clusters at the tip of stems, appearing in spring and summer. Fruits are edible, fleshy, purple, round fruit to 15mm long, containing numerous seeds. Seeds are small light brown seeds to 2mm long.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between December and March. Collect maturing fruits; those turning purplish and soft. Place the fruits in a tray and leave to dry for 2-3 weeks. Then rub the dried fruit gently to dislodge the seeds from the opening on the bottom of the fruit. 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 92%. Seeds are non-dormant, viable seed should germinate readily.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 3,300 (1.65 g) 3,600 (1.65 g) | 100+ | 21-Jan-2005 | MKJ73 South Eastern | 31-Mar-2006 | 92% | -18°C |