Botanical art
Prior names
Bredemeyera calymega
Common names
Heath Milkwort
Blue-spike Milkwort
Etymology
Comesperma from the Greek 'kome' meaning hair of the head and 'sperma' meaning seed, referring to the seeds covered in long hairs. Calymega from the Greek 'kalyx' meaning covering and 'mega' meaning large, alluding to the species having long calyx (outer sepals almost as long as the wings).
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia from the Eyre Peninsula to the lower South-east, growing in sandy heathlands. Also found in Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Glabrous or almost glabrous erect perennial subshrub to 60 cm often with simple or few-branching stems arising annually from a short woody rhizome with scattered leaves in lower two-thirds (rarely almost leafless). Leaves oblanceolate to linear, to 25 mm long and 5 mm wide, thickish, flat or margins slightly recurved. Inflorescence a terminal spike to 10 cm long, with blue flowers. Outer sepals free, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, to 4 mm long, wings obovate, to 5 mm long. Petals 3, keel 2-lobed, to 3 mm long with lateral petals to 4 mm long. Flowering between October and January. Fruits and obovate or cuneate capsule, tapering to base, to 7.5 mm long, truncate or shallowly 3-toothed at apex. Seeds ovoid to 2 mm long covered with long silky hairs to 5 mm long.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between December and March. Collect capsules that are turning brown and being to split with fluffy seeds. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for a week. Capsules will split and 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 high.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 200 (0.18 g) | 30 | 14-Dec-2005 | DJD325 Southern Lofty | 8-Aug-2006 | 90% | -18°C |
| MSB | 1,800 (1.04 g) | 50+ | 7-Jan-2008 | TST335 South Eastern | 80% | ||
| BGA | 550 (0.31 g) | 30 | 10-Dec-2015 | Knott Hill NFR Southern Lofty | 2-May-2017 | 95% | -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.