Communities

Scientific Name

Comesperma calymega

Family Name

POLYGALACEAE

Common Name

Spike or Blue-spike milkwort

Status

Height

0.2m - 0.4m (20-40cm)

Flowers

Small, in dense terminal racemes about 5cm long, usually blue, rarely pink or white.

Fruit

Capsule

Form

Perennial undershrub with woody root- stock & erect rigid stems, almost glabrous.

Municipalities

Break O'Day; Burnie; Clarence; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Huon Valley; Kentish; King Island; Kingborough; Latrobe; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar

Communities

Coastal Vegetation; Heath

Habitat Notes

Common in sandy heaths.

Site Tolerance

Exposed; Moist; Windy

Frost Tolerance

Moderate

Soil Tolerance

Loam; Phosphorous intolerant; Poor; Sandy; Well-drained

General Notes

Resistant to Phytophthora cinnamomi. Will grow in most well drained soils, in dappled shade or partial sun. Will tolerate full sun if root area is protected. Will not withstand extended dry periods. Suitable below powerlines.

Propagation Details

Propagation Calendar

Flowering Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Collecting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sowing Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cutting Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Fruit; a wedge shaped capsule about 1cm long. seeds hairy. seed should be fully mature or viability is low

Seed Treatment Method

Standard

Seed Storage Life

Viable Seeds Per Gram

Seed Treatment Notes

Grown from seed. The first seedlings should emerge in 5-8 weeks. Viability is low if the seed is not collected when fully mature.

Germination Time

5-8 weeks

Suitable for Direct Seeding

Cuttings

Expected Time to Take Root

Expected Time to Plant Out

Propagation by Division N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.

Cutting Notes

May also be propagated from cuttings.