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Image Credit: Anna Povey – with permission
Scientific Name: Hibbertia empetrifolia subsp. empetrifolia
Common Name: thyme guineaflower
Family Classification (Clade): Eudicots
Family: Dilleniaceae
Form Description: Shrub, trailing or climbing by intertwining branches; young stems reddish and roughened.
Flowers: Bright yellow, 1 cm across, on slender stalks to 1.5 cm long; 4-5 deeply notched petals.
Fruit: Seed follicles
Municipality
Plant Communities
Habitat Notes
Widespread from sea level to 750m; common in sandy heaths near coasts. In coastal scrub it usually adopts a trailing habit; in high rainfall forests it is a vigorous climber, forming tangled clumps.
Site Tolerance
Dry, Exposed, Moist, Rocky, Shady, Windy
Soil Tolerance
Fertile, Loam, Nutrient-poor, Sandy, Well-drained
Frost Tolerance
Moderate
General Notes
Susceptible to Phytophthora cinnamomi.
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 collection is difficult and time consuming. Seeds shed very quickly after maturity and only a few viable seeds are produced which often are predated by insects.
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 Storage Life
1-2 years
Seed Treatment Notes
Difficult to germinate from seed; germination rate may be improved slightly by smoke treatment.
Germination Time
1-3 months
Cutting & Division Information
Propagate from cuttings; best taken from young growth following flowering or pruning. Stripping of outer bark may be a problem if cuttings are not processed within a short time of collection.