Botanical art
Prior names
Hybanthus aurantiacus
Hybanthus miniatus
Hybanthus enneaspermus var. aurantiacus
Ionidium aurantiacum
Hybanthus enneaspermus
Common names
Yellow Slender Violet
Etymology
Hybanthus, from the Greek 'hybos', meaning hump and 'anthos', meaning flower, referring to the spurred or pouched anterior petal. Aurantiacus, from Latin meaning orange, referring to the colour of the flowers.
Distribution and status
Found in the far northern part of South Australia growing on margins of rocky creek-lines. Also found in Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Compact perennial shrub to 60 cm tall with hairy or smooth stems. Leaves alternate or clustered; linear to lanceolate, to 30 mm long; hairy, margins serrate-dentate or occasionally entire. Flowers solitary with orange to yellow, large single paddle-like petal and small lateral petals. Flowering between May and October. Fruits are pale-green ovoid capsule to 9 mm long, with numerous seeds.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between July and December. Collect capsules that are maturing, drying and turning pale green with dark seeds inside. Keep an eye on the capsules as they can ripen and split open quickly. Place the capsules in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds popping out and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules gently with your hands 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.