Leafless Ballart,
Leafless Cherry
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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
Kangaroo Island (KAN01) | Kanmantoo | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU D2) (Probable Decline) [not well-protected; coastal; not often seen] |
Fleurieu (KAN02) | | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU D2) (Probable Decline) [pops on coast unlikely to regenrate; poor habitat conditions; edge of range; lack of recruitment] |
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01) | Flinders Lofty Block | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU D2) (Probable Decline) [Gawler, Marino Rocks records OK but later a disjunct population. Also at Rapid Bay therefore found on coastal edge. ] |
Broughton (FLB02) | | Least Concern |
Olary Spur (FLB03) | | Least Concern |
Southern Flinders (FLB04) | | Least Concern |
Northern Flinders (FLB05) | | Least Concern |
Central Flinders (FLB06) | | Least Concern |
Southern Yorke (EYB01) | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern |
St Vincent (EYB02) | | Least Concern |
Eyre Hills (EYB03) | | Least Concern |
Talia (EYB04) | | Least Concern |
Eyre Mallee (EYB05) | | Least Concern |
South Olary Plain (MDD01) | Murray Darling Depression | Least Concern |
Murray Mallee (MDD02) | | Least Concern |
Lowan Mallee (MDD04) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [southern edge of range] |
Braemer (MDD07) | | Least Concern |
Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06) | Riverina | Least Concern |
Myall Plains (GAW01) | Gawler | Least Concern |
Gawler Volcanics (GAW02) | | Least Concern |
Gawler Lakes (GAW03) | | Least Concern |
Arcoona Plateau (GAW04) | | Least Concern |
Kingoonya (GAW05) | | Least Concern |
Roxby (GAW07) | | Least Concern |
Commonwealth Hill (GAW08) | | Least Concern |
Yellabinna (GVD06) | Great Victoria Desert | Least Concern |
Nullarbor Plain (NUL02) | Nullarbor | Least Concern |
Yalata (NUL03) | | Least Concern |
Hampton (HAM01) | Hampton | Least Concern |
Barrier Range Outwash (BHC04) | Broken Hill Complex | Least Concern |
Bimbowrie (BHC05) | | Least Concern |
Curnamona (BHC06) | | Least Concern |
Breakaways (STP01) | Stony Plains | Rare (IUCN: RA d(ii)) |
Oodnadatta (STP02) | | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) |
2 of 2 subregions | Kanmantoo | Vulnerable |
6 of 6 subregions | Flinders Lofty Block | Least Concern , Vulnerable |
5 of 5 subregions | Eyre Yorke Block | Least Concern |
4 of 6 subregions | Murray Darling Depression | Least Concern , Rare |
Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06) | Riverina | Least Concern |
7 of 8 subregions | Gawler | Least Concern |
Yellabinna (GVD06) | Great Victoria Desert | Least Concern |
2 of 3 subregions | Nullarbor | Least Concern |
Hampton (HAM01) | Hampton | Least Concern |
3 of 4 subregions | Broken Hill Complex | Least Concern |
2 of 7 subregions | Stony Plains | Rare |
Botanical art
Kath Alcock paintings: 9
Prior names
Exocarpus aphyllus, orth.var.
Exocarpos aphylla, orth.var.
Xylophyllos aphyllus
Exocarpos leptomerioides
Common names
Leafless Ballart
Leafless Cherry
Etymology
Exocarpos from the Greek 'exo' meaning outside and 'caryon' meaning nut, referring to the succulent pedicel resembles a pericarp below the nut. Aphyllus from the Greek 'a', meaning without and 'phyllon' meaning a leaf; alluding to the appearance of the species not to have any leaves.
Distribution and status
Found across central South Australia growing in mallee scrub and woodlands, on sandy, loamy or calcareous soils . Also found in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Much-branched shrub or small tree to 3.5 m high. Branches stout, rigid, more or less spreading; cylindrical or flat-ribbed and stellate-hairy when young. Leaves reduced to ovate caducous scales less than 1 mm long. Inflorescence in short dense sessile spikes or clusters, 2-4 mm long with tiny yellow-green flowers. Flowering between August and December. Fruits are fruit consists of two parts, fleshy, cream turning red pedical (top part) and black ovoid to globular nut (bottom part). Seeds are woody brown globular seed with a fleshy orange aril at tone end. Seed embryo type is linear underdeveloped.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and January. Collect maturing fruits, the top aril is large, succulent, orange to red and bottom bit is hard and black. Leave fruits to dry and harden before storing. Fleshy aril can be removed but it can be stored with the seed. 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. Predation of seeds can be high, however, seed viability is also high. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%. This species is generally difficult to germinate, it has morphophysiological dormancy and complex germination requirements.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature | BGA MSB | 1,500 (60 g) 1,500 (60 g) | 12 | 29-Oct-2004 | MOL4686 Gairdner-Torrens | 28-Mar-2006 | 100% | -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.