Botanical art
Prior names
Conospermum helichrysoides
Conospermum cucullatum
Common names
Slender Smoke-bush
Slender Conospermum
Etymology
Conospermum from the Latin 'conus' meaning a cone and 'spermum' meaning a seed; alluding to the obconical nuts. Patens means spreading; alluding to the species habit.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia, from the southern Eyre Peninsula to the lower South-east, growing in sandy rarely clay soil in sclerophyllous shrubland or woodland. Also foun in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, 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
Erect shrub to 2 m high with white-pubescent branches. Leaves widely spreading, distally upturned, linear to linear-oblanceolate, to 25 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, glabrescent. Flower-spikes terminal or in the upper axils with dense white, grey-blue or lilac flowers. Flowering between April and January. Fruits are pale brown fruit cluster at end of stalk, each with a number of seeds. Seeds are cone-shaped nut to 2.5 mm long, covered in short golden brown hairs with a ring of longer hairs around the margin of the cone. Seed embryo type is investing.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between September and February. Collecting mature fruit-heads, those turning brown and contain hard seeds. Place the heads in a tray and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks. Then rub the dried heads with your hands to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate any 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, ranging from 50% to 55%.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 1,700 (3.95 g) 1,700 (3.95 g) | 80 | 14-Dec-2005 | DJD279 Southern Lofty | 8-Aug-2006 | 55% | -18°C |
BGA | 4,800 (8.04 g) | 14-Dec-2005 | TEE9 Kangaroo Island | 10-Aug-2009 | 50% | -18°C | |
BGA | 1,700 (5.98 g) | 30+ | 21-Nov-2011 | KHB615 Southern Lofty | 1-Nov-2012 | 76% | -18°C |