Botanical art
Prior names
Poranthera ericoides, partly
Common names
Heath Poranthera
Etymology
Poranthera from the Greek 'porus' meaning opening or pore and 'anthera' meaning anther, referring to the terminal pores of the anther cells. Huegelii named after Baron Carl von Hugel (1795-1870), an Austrian traveller, plant collector and patron of horticulture.
Distribution and status
Found on southern Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and southern Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia, growing on higher ground, along roadside or firebreaks on lateritic clay, sand or loam. Also found in Western Australia. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Erect multi-stemmed, glabrous heath-like undershrubs with several to many stems to 25 cm high, becoming woody basally. Leaves alternate, crowded; linear to narrow-oblong subacute, to 20 mm long and 2 mm; margins revolute and more or less concealing the paler underside. Inflorescence a terminal head consisting of numerous umbels of white flowers. Flowering between October and January. Fruits are dark green to brown depressed globular capsule to 3 mm diameter, 3 lobed with 6 seeds. Seeds are pale yellow to white sectoroid seed to 1 mm long and 0.6 mm wide, covered in white reticulate surface. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and February. Collect individual mature capsules, those that are drying off, fat and contain dark hard seeds or break off the fruiting umbels to allow the capsules to continue to mature. Green capsules can be collected if the seeds are dark and hard. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then gently rub the capsules with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieves 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 80% to 100%.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 12,500 (2.096 g) | 40-50 | 13-Nov-2006 | DJD663 Kangaroo Island | |||
| BGA | 4,700 (0.81 g) | 13-Nov-2006 | DJD658 Kangaroo Island | 1-Aug-2007 | 100% | -18°C | |
| BGA | 1,200 (0.33 g) | 20 | 21-Nov-2006 | TST106 Southern Lofty | 1-Aug-2007 | 80% | -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.