Plants of
South Australia
Dodonaea intricata
Sapindaceae
Gawler Ranges Hop-bush
Display all 4 images
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
Enlarge Map
Copy Map
Copy Map
Display IBRA region text

Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 5

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).

Seeds stored:
  Hide
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
23,750 (42.75 g)
23,750 (42.75 g)
508-Nov-2005MKJ106
Gairdner-Torrens
8-Aug-200640%-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.