Plants of
South Australia
Xanthosia huegelii
Apiaceae
Heath Xanthosia,
Hairy Xanthosia
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
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Keith
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1

Prior names

Leucolaena huegelii

Xanthosia pusilla

Common names

Heath Xanthosia

Hairy Xanthosia

Etymology

Xanthosia from the Greek 'xanthos' meaning yellow; referring to the colour of the hairs of some species or to the flower colour of the type specimen. Huegelii named after Baron Carl von Hugel (1795-1870), an Austrian traveller, plant collector and patron of horticulture.

Distribution and status

Found on the southern Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the upper South-east in South Australia, growing on sand mainly in coastal areas in heath and woodland. Also found in Western Australia and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Weak procumbent to ascending perennial herb or small shrub to 15 cm high, rootstock short, woody, branches covered in soft hairs, becoming flaky with age. Leaves alternate, with leaf-blade to 35 mm long and 60 mm wide, covered in soft hairs, sometimes hairless, ternately dissected, segments linear-oblong to elliptic, entire, petiole to 30 mm long. Inflorescence singular or in clusters of 3–6 yellow-green or white-cream flowers, with hairy bracts. Flowering between June and January. Fruits are brown capsule to 4 mm long. Seed embryo type is linear under-developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between October and March. Collect maturing fruits by picking off clusters that are turning pale brown with a hard seed inside. Place the fruits in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the fruits with a rubber bung 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.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
 
MSB

1,600 (0.88 g)
14-Dec-2005DJD321
Southern Lofty
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.