Calandrinia balonensis

Calandrinia balonensis, commonly known as Parakeelya, is succulent herb native to central Australia.

Calandrinia balonensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Montiaceae
Genus: Calandrinia
Species:
C. balonensis
Binomial name
Calandrinia balonensis
Lindl.

The leaves are fleshy, 4–10 cm long. Purplish flowers are 2–3 cm across.[1]

Uses

Aboriginal people traditionally eat the leaves raw or steamed, and roots steamed. The seeds are also ground and eaten as a paste. C. balonensis is also used in the arid regions of interior Australia as a feed for livestock.[2] The plant is known as parkily in the Pitjantjatjara language.

Distribution

The species occurs in the arid regions of Australia centred on the Tropic of Capricorn[3] The fleshy leaves are 4–10 cm long. The flowers are 2–3 cm across, with light purple petals (usually 5) around numerous yellow stamens whose pollen is collected (and presumably transferred) by native bees.

Cultivation

A selection of this species, cv 'Mystique', has been registered.[4] and propagated as a clone.[5] Like other Calandrinia species, it is self-incompatible, and therefore does not set seed unless grown with other clones. It can be propagated by cuttings and the resulting plants flower prolifically, but they may be difficult to maintain for more than one year. Wild-type plants also make attractive garden plants[6] and, if several clones are grown together, they interpollinate and set abundant seed. The seed[7] germinates only sparsely without some form of scarification of the seed coat, but ~80% germination has been reported when the coat of the tiny seed is nicked with a scalpel, using a dissecting microscope.[8]

gollark: It is stupidly locked down and unrepairable.
gollark: Unlike with apple.
gollark: There are multiple companies selling android phones, see.
gollark: Well, yes, Samsung bad.
gollark: With the android version of Firefox you can even install adblocking addons.

References
  1. Low,T., Wild Food Plants of Australia, 1988. ISBN 0-207-16930-6
  2. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/advanced-search.php
  3. Atlas of Living Australia
  4. Australian Cultivar Registration Authority
  5. Gardening with Angus
  6. Vertical gardens on walls, trees and water tanks
  7. Seeds of South Australia
  8. Kew Gardens (UK) Seed Information Database


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.