Seeds of South Australia
Aphelia pumilio (Centrolepidaceae)
Dwarf Aphelia
List of species for Aphelia
Click on an image to enlarge it
Seed collecting:
October to January
Herbarium regions:
Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
NRM regions:
Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
IBRA regions
LEGEND
Mount Gambier (SVP02)Southern Volcanic Plain
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))   [undercollected ]
Bridgewater (NCP01)Naracoorte Coastal Plain
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))
Glenelg Plain (NCP02) 
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))   [undercollected ]
Lucindale (NCP03) 
 Near Threatened
Tintinara (NCP04) 
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(i,ii))   [edge of range]
Kangaroo Island (KAN01)Kanmantoo
 Rare   (IUCN: RA d(ii))   [overlooked, annual]
Fleurieu (KAN02) 
 Near Threatened   [annual, overlooked; in stringybark forests, rocks]
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01)Flinders Lofty Block
 Least Concern   [annual, overlooked; in stringybark forests, rocks]
Broughton (FLB02) 
 Rare   (IUCN: RA ab)   (Definite Decline)   [Spring Gully]
RSCA map:
Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion. Please click the thumbnail map.
AVH map:
Australian distribution map (external link)
SA Census:
Census of South Australian plants (external link)     [genus Aphelia]
SA Flora:
Flora of South Australia Edition 5
Name derivation:
 Aphelia from the Greek 'apheles' meaning simple; referring to the simple structure of the solitary female florets. Pumilio from Latin meaning dwarf; referring to its habit.
Distribution:
 Found in Mount Lofty Ranges and the South-east in South Australia, growing in temporarily wet ground of various soil types. Also found in Victoria and Tasmania.
Status:
 Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Plant description:
 Very tiny, erect herb to 30 mm tall with narrow leaves clustered at the base of the stems to 20 mm long. Inflorescence an erect spike to 6 mm long and are leaf-like. Flowering between October and November.
Fruit type:
 Small brown leaf-like spike.
Seed type:
 Vey small brown ellipsoid seed to 1 mm long and 0.5 mm wide.
Embryo type:
 Broad.
Seed collecting:
 Collect whole plant that are starting to dry off and turning pale straw colour.
Seed cleaning:
 Place the plant material in a tray for 1-2 week to dry. Then rub the pods with your hands or a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Pass the material through a sieve to separate the unwanted material. The finer material will contain both seeds (soft) and frass (hard) usually distinguishable from each other. With finer sieves, the seeds can be separated from the frass but this is not essential for storage or propagation. 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.
Seed viability:
 From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%.
Seeds stored:
LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)		Number
of plants		Date
collected		Collection number
Collection location		Date
stored		% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA6800 (0.8967 g)50+18-Nov-2010DJD2047
South Eastern		1-Jan-2012100%-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.