Plants of
South Australia
Muehlenbeckia adpressa
Polygonaceae
Native Sarsparilla,
Climbing Lignum
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
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Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1

Prior names

Polygonum adpressum

Muehlenbeckia adpressa var. rotundifolia

Common names

Native Sarsparilla

Climbing Lignum

Etymology

Muehlenbeckia, named after Henri Gustav Muehlenbeck (1798-1845), an Alsatian physician and botanist who investigated the flora of Alsace.

Distribution and status

Found in the southern part of South Australia, from Eyre Peninsula to the southeast growing along the coast, behind beaches and on cliff-tops. Also found in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. rare in New South Wales. common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Prostrate or twining low shrub with slender stems to 1 m long; red-brown, winged or striate. Leaves to 6 cm long and 35 mm wide; semicircular to oblong-ovate; glabrous, margins mostly crisped. Inflorescences spread evenly along branches. Flowers somewhat fleshy, green-yellow. Seed embryo type is peripheral.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect ripening fruits containing a hard seed. Place fruits in a bucket of water and leave to soak overnight. then rub the fruit to remove the flesh. Rub and change the water a few times until all the fresh is removed. Leave the cleaned seed to dry and then store with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Seeds are non-dormant. Viable seed should germinate readily.

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB

1,500 (5.5 g)
3023-Jan-2007DJD751
Kangaroo Island
BGA3,260 (14.36 g)16-Nov-2015JRG242
Kangaroo Island
24-Apr-201985%-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.