-
Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
-
Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
-
Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
Scientific Name: Gyrostemon thesioides
Common Name: broom wheelfruit
Family Classification (Clade): Eudicots
Family: Gyrostemonaceae
Threatened Species Status: Rare
Permit: It is an offence to collect, disturb, damage or destroy this species unless under permit.
Form Description: Undershrub with a hard, woody stem and many erect branches. Short-lived (less than 10 years).
Height (m): 0.3 – 0.8
Flowers: Very small, solitary in the upper leaf axils.
Fruit: Capsule – 2mm long and 4mm wide, deeply ribbed, and occur only on female plants. Seeds are kidney-shaped and reddish-brown with a white aril, 2mm long.
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Allocasuarina forest in the north and east, and on Bass Strait islands. Sites include Cataract Gorge, Douglas-Apsley National Park, Sleepy Bay and Orford.
Propagation Calendar
-
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
Difficult to grow from seed. Dry collected fruits, then sieve to clean.
Seed Treatment Method
Smoke Smoke treatment improves germination in some species. Smokey products, e.g. smokey vermiculite, can be purchased and applied to the sown seed, or sown seeds can be treated directly with smoke from a source such as a drum with a fire and hose.
Seed Treatment Notes
Most treatments result in little or no germination. Bird-digestion may play a role in germination. Smoke may be worth trying.