Plants of
South Australia
Dodonaea petiolaris
Sapindaceae
Balloon Hop-bush,
Green Hop-bush
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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
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Common names

Balloon Hop-bush

Green Hop-bush

Etymology

Dodonaea named after Rembert Dodoens (1517-1585), a Flemish physician and botanist, also known under his Latinized name Rembertus Dodonaeus. Petiolaris from Latin meaning petiolate, alluding to the long petiolate (stalked) leaves.

Distribution and status

Found in the far north-east corner of South Australia growing on the lower sections of the rocky slopes of mesa hills. Also found in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. Native. Rare in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium region: Lake Eyre
NRM region: South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect branching shrub to 2 m high with sticky simple, broad-lanceolate to ovate leaves to 60 mm long and 25 mm wide. Fruits are maroon balloon-like three-winged fruit. Seed embryo type is folded.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and October. Collect winged capsules that contain hard black seeds, usually when capsule is large and turning red or brown. Place capsules in a tray 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 average, at 70%. 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
BGA860 (21.01 g)4026-Sep-2008DJD1213
Lake Eyre
20-Jul-2009100%-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.