Botanical art
Prior names
Dodonaea sp. A
Etymology
Dodonaea named after Rembert Dodoens (1517-1585), a Flemish physician and botanist, also known under his Latinized name Rembertus Dodonaeus. Intricata means entangled, alluding to the crowded branch structure.
Distribution and status
Endemic to South Australia and found in the Gawler Ranges on Eyre Peninsula growing on granite hills and rocky outcrops in association with Melaleuca uncinata, M. rhaphiophylla, M. lanceolata and Triodia irritans. Native. Locally common but uncommon for South Australia.
Herbarium regions: Gairdner-Torrens, Eyre Peninsula
NRM regions: Eyre Peninsula, South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Dioecious spreading shrub to 1 m high. Leaves simple, petiolate; oblong or rarely oblanceolate or narrow-elliptic; truncate-emarginate or sometimes obtuse or irregularly 2 or 3-toothed at the apex; to 1.7 cm long and 0.6 cm wide; viscous, with raised glands, glabrous to puberulent; margin entire, unevenly sinuate or with very small regular teeth or lobes. Flowers solitary, or rarely 2 together, axillary; sepals 4, stamens 8. Dodonaea intricata can be distinguished from D. viscosa subsp. cuneata by its solitary flowers and narrower, oblong, thicker leaves, usually with a truncate-emarginate apex. Flowering between February and March. Fruits are red-brown capsule 4-winged to 13 mm long and 14 mm wide, usually glabrous; wings 2-4 mm broad, extending from the base to the apex of the capsule. Seeds are brown globular seed to 2.5 mm long and 2 mm wide, with a short brown aril. Seed embryo type is folded.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between June and November. Collect capsules that contain hard black seeds, usually when capsule is turning red or brown. Place capsules in a tray and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks. Then rub the capsules by hand to 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. From one collection, the seed viability was low, at 40%. This species has physiological dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking the seed coat).
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 23,750 (42.75 g) 23,750 (42.75 g) | 50 | 8-Nov-2005 | MKJ106 Gairdner-Torrens | 8-Aug-2006 | 40% | -18°C |