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Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
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Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
Scientific Name: Bossiaea cinerea
Common Name: showy bossia
Family Classification (Clade): Eudicots
Family: Fabaceae
Form Description: Much-branched shrub, erect or spreading.
Height (m): 0.3 – 1.2
Flowers: Brown and yellow pea, long-stalked with two upper lobes broader than the three lower.
Fruit: Seed pod – flattened, about twice as long as broad. Pod contains several to many pale or yellow-brown seeds.
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Abundant in coastal heaths and light coastal forest.
Site Tolerance
Dry, Moist
Soil Tolerance
Fertile, Loam, Nutrient-poor, Sandy, Well-drained
General Notes
Variable in habit but prefers a little shade. Very floriferous.
Propagation Calendar
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Flowering Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Seed Collecting Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Sowing Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec -
Cutting Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Propagation Method
Seed Information
Seed Collection
Seed drops soon after maturity. Collect pods, place in warm spot till open and clean using sieves.
Seed Treatment Method
Hot Water Hot water is used to soften the hard seed case of some species. This replicates the weathering process. Pour hot (not boiling) water over the seeds and allow them to soak for 4-12 hours.
Seed Storage Life
Long
Seed Treatment Notes
Nicking the seed has the best results, however it is tedious and time consuming. Soak in hot water (just off the boil) for a few hours before sowing. Seed should be dried after soaking.
Germination Time
3-4 weeks+