Municipalities

Scientific Name

Comesperma retusum

Family Name

POLYGALACEAE

Common Name

Purple Milkwort, Mountain Milkwort

Status

Height

0.6m - 0.9m (60-90cm)

Flowers

Bright pink/purple (rarely lavender coloured), 2 large sepals forming wings. Other parts small.

Fruit

Capsule

Form

Shrub with erect, slender, rather rigid branches.

Municipalities

Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Derwent Valley; Dorset; Flinders Island; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Glenorchy; Hobart; Huon Valley; Kentish; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Southern Midlands; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar

Communities

Heath; Montane Vegetation

Habitat Notes

Widespread but infrequent in wet heaths and scrub from sea level to mountain plateaux, especially inland.

Site Tolerance

Exposed; Moist; Windy

Frost Tolerance

Hardy

Soil Tolerance

Fertile; Loam; Poor; Poorly-drained; Well-drained

General Notes

Resistant to Phytophthora cinnamomi. 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, seeds with a tuft of hairs. collect into paper bags, store in fridge in plastic envelopes

Seed Treatment Method

Standard

Seed Storage Life

Viable Seeds Per Gram

Seed Treatment Notes

Should have good results. Viability is low if seed is not collected when fully mature.

Germination Time

5-8 weeks

Suitable for Direct Seeding

Yes

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

Take cuttings of new growth starting to harden off.