Osteocarpum acropterum, known as Bonefruit or Waterweed in Copley, Flinders Ranges in October.
Waterweed: Copley
Female Bladder Saltbushes fruiting and flowering
Atriplex vesicaria, the Bladder Saltbush is a silvery blue bush found throughout the Flinders Ranges. The silvery green fruit have distinctive bladder-like appendages on each side. Male and female flowers tend to be on separate plants, as seen below.
Horned Bindyi
Horned Bindyi, Sclerolaena diacantha, is a small hairy silvery grey perennial growing in clay. Seen fruiting in Copley in winter.
Limestone Copperburr fruiting
Limestone Copperburr (Sclerolaena obliquicuspis) in fruiting in two colour variations side by side in Copley in winter. A small sprawling shrub, 20cm high, with white hairs on leaves, stems and the base half of fruit spines.
Woolly Copperburr fruiting
Woolly Copperburr (Sclerolaena lanicuspis) is a small hairy perennial shrub growing in clay soils. Spiny red fruits are covered in long white hairs.
Yellow Bindyi fruiting
Yellow Bindyi (Sclerolaena cuneata) is small perennial with bright yellow spined fruit, growing in arid soils throughout the Flinders Ranges.
Tumbleweed fruiting
Known as Tumbleweed, Roly-poly or Buckbush, Salsola kali fruiting before drying up and and dislodging seeds as it tumbles in the wind.
Low Bluebush fruiting
Maireana astrotricha, the Low Bluebush, is a compact pale blue grey bush growing amongst Black Bluebush on the limey clay plains of Copley. Coppery pink to red coloured fruit has a single slit.
Gall Midge on Ruby Saltbush
These pom-pom-like formations (1-2cm across) on Ruby Saltbush are galls created by a type of Diptera Midge infestation which is one of several species hosted by specific chenopods. These galls impede flowering and fruiting of the plant, instead hosting the Gall Midge which lays eggs into the new flower bud. Larvae then feed within the gall, the remains of which can be seen below.
Waterweed fruiting: Copley
Osteocarpum acropterum, known as Bonefruit or Waterweed, producing yellow-red two-winged fruit in midwinter in the Flinders Ranges. A pink fruiting variety has also been observed in Copley.
