Botanical art
Common names
Single-flower Apple-berry
One-flower Apple-berry
Etymology
Billardiera named after Jacques-Julien de Labillardiere (1755-1834), a 19th century French botanist who visited Western Australia and Tasmania with the D'Entrecasteaux expedition and named many new plant species. Uniflora from the Latin 'unus' meaning one and 'floris' meaning flower, referring to its solitary flower (but occasionally 2 together)
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found at the foot of the Eyre Penionsula, Kangaroo Island and southern Mount Lofty Ranges. Native. Uncommon in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Twiner or creeper perennial shrub to 1 m tall. Leaves alternate, linear to narrow-lanceolate, entire or crenate, acute to 50 mm long and 9 mm wide, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, margins closely revolute. Flowers cream or white, bell-shaped, solitary or occasionally 2. Flowering between September and November. Fruits are cylindrical drupe to 40 mm long and 13 mm wide, green and hard when immature and soft when ripe. Seeds are brown, flat, reniform to 2 mm long and 2 mm wide, covered in wrinkles. Seed embryo type is linear underdeveloped.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between March and May. Pick mature fruits that are soft or have dark brown seeds inside. Clean ripe fruit as soon as possible as it will go hard if left to dry too long. Rub the fruits in water with your hands to dislodge the seeds from the fruit. Pour the mixture into a sieve to separate the seeds from the flesh. Place the wet seeds in a tray lined with paper and leave to dry for 1 to 2 days. 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 high. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 1,840 (3.09 g) 1,840 (3.09 g) | 6 | 2-May-2007 | DJD802 Southern Lofty | 1-Aug-2007 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C |
| BGA | 3,000 (5.94 g) | 23-Sep-2009 | PJA193 Southern Lofty | 2-May-2017 | 100% | -18°C | |
| BGA | 3,300 (5.378 g) | 15 | 8-Jun-2022 | West Bay Rd Kangaroo Island | 20-Jun-2023 | 100% | -18°C |
| BGA | 3,742 (4.753 g) | 16-Jun-2022 | D.A. Young Kangaroo Island | 20-Jun-2023 | 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.