Family: Elatinaceae
Bergia trimera
Citation:
Fischer & C. Meyer, Linnaea 10:74 (1836).
Synonymy: B. ammannioides Heyne ex Roth var. trimera (Fischer & C. Meyer)Benth., Fl. Aust. 1:180 (1863); B. ammannioides Heyne ex Roth var. triandra Wight, Ill. Indian Bot. t. 25a (1831); B. tripetala F. Muell., Pl. Indig. Col. Vic. 1:196 (1862).
Common name: Small water-fire.
Description:
Procumbent or prostrate annuals, sometimes forming mats up to 30 cm or more diam.; young plants sometimes erect; stems often deep-red, with capitate hairs on the younger parts and usually more or less septate hairs interspersed; leaves elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, acute, serrate, with or without scattered hairs, 4.5-20 x 2.5-7 mm.
Flowers in dense axillary fascicles, on pedicels up to 1.5 mm long; sepals 3 or 4, usually elliptic-oblong, acute or acuminate-attenuate, with scarious margins, narrow-toothed or entire, 1-1.5 x 0.4-0.5 mm; petals 3 or 4, obovate-oblong, obtuse, glabrous, pink, about as large as the sepals or slightly longer or shorter; stamens 3 or 4, c. 1 mm long; filaments subulate or linear-lanceolate; anthers pale-yellow, c. 0.3 mm long; ovary subglobose; stigmas 3 or 4.
Capsule globose, c. 1 mm long; seeds distinctly pitted, dark-reddish-brown to almost black, c. 0.4 mm long.
Published illustration:
Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 499.
Distribution:
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Grows in seasonally wet areas. Rarely collected in S.Aust.
S.Aust.: NW, LE, GT, EA, EP, MU. W.Aust.; N.T.; Qld; N.S.W. India; Sri Lanka.
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Conservation status:
native
Flowering time: throughout the year.
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SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia
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Biology:
No text
Author:
Not yet available
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