Botanical art
Prior names
Correa rubra var. pulchella
Correa neglecta var. minor
Correa neglecta
Correa minor
Common names
Salmon Correa
Etymology
Correa named after Jose Francisco Correa de Serra (1751-1823), a Portuguese botanist. Pulchella from the Latin 'pulcher' meaning beautiful; referring to its flowers.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found on the Eyre Peninsula, York Peninsula, Kangaroo island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the upper South-east, growing on calcareous soils in a wide range of habitat. Native. Common in South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Prostrate or erect shrub to 1 m high. Leaves linear-oblong to broadly ovate, to 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, subglabrous or glabrous. Inflorescence solitary, pendulous, terminal on axillary branchlets with cylindrical to funnel-shaped pink-red, orange or rarely white flowers. Flowering between April and September. Fruits are brown capsule to 6 mm long, enclose by the sepals, segments rounded. Seed embryo type is linear fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between July and November. Collect mature capsules, those that are turning a pale straw colour and contain hard seeds, either by hands or place small breathable bags over immature capsules to collect seed. Capsules maybe hard to see as it is enclose by the sepals. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for a weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Be very careful as the seed coat is thin and easily damaged. 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. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 95%. This species has morphophysiological dormancy and can be difficult to germinate.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 450 (2.8 g) | 15 | 18-Jan-2006 | DJD355 Southern Lofty | 8-Aug-2006 | 95% | -18°C |
| MSB | 800 (3.5 g) | 50+ | 20-Dec-2006 | TST167 Southern Lofty |
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.