Heath Milkwort,
Blue-spike Milkwort
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
Display IBRA region text
| Mount Gambier (SVP02) | Southern Volcanic Plain | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Bridgewater (NCP01) | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Glenelg Plain (NCP02) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Lucindale (NCP03) | | Least Concern |
| Tintinara (NCP04) | | Least Concern |
| Kangaroo Island (KAN01) | Kanmantoo | Least Concern |
| Fleurieu (KAN02) | | Least Concern |
| Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01) | Flinders Lofty Block | Least Concern |
| Broughton (FLB02) | | Regionally Extinct |
| Eyre Hills (EYB03) | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern |
| Talia (EYB04) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
| Eyre Mallee (EYB05) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Murray Mallee (MDD02) | Murray Darling Depression | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
| Murray Lakes and Coorong (MDD03) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Lowan Mallee (MDD04) | | Near Threatened |
| Wimmera (MDD05) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| Mount Gambier (SVP02) | Southern Volcanic Plain | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
| 4 of 4 subregions | Naracoorte Coastal Plain | Least Concern , Rare |
| 2 of 2 subregions | Kanmantoo | Least Concern |
| 2 of 6 subregions | Flinders Lofty Block | Least Concern , Regionally Extinct |
| 3 of 5 subregions | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern , Rare |
| 4 of 6 subregions | Murray Darling Depression | Near Threatened , Rare |
Botanical art
Kath Alcock paintings: 3
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
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
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 |
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
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.
Germination table:
Display
| Date | Result | T0 | T50 | Pre-treatment | Germination medium | Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod |
| Jul-16 | 7% | 35 | NA |
1% agar;
Incubated under winter conditions |
Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)
