Scientific Name:
Acaena inermis
'Purpurea'
Pronunciation:
ah-SEE-nah ih-NER-mis
Common Name:
purple sheep's burr
Family Name:
Rosaceae
Plant Type:
Ground cover, Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Mat forming sub-shrub with rhizomes and eventually runners; leaves alternate, pinnately compound, most 2-7cm long with 7-11(-15) ovate-orbicular leaflets, most 4-7mm long x 3-5mm wide (larger near the ends), margin dentate, little purple to greyish bronze to pale olive, nearly sessile (petiolules <1mm long); inflorescences, compact, head-like, round, 1-2cm wide, with about 20 apetalous florets.
Habit:
Horizontal, Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.1 - 0.2m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Australia / New Zealand
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Rocky or gravelly or dry, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Alpine, Container planting, Ground cover, Mixed shrub border, Rock garden, Spring interest
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Colour in Summer:
Purple, Bronze, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Obovate, Orbicular
Apices:
Rounded
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Dentate
Inflorescence Type:
Spike, Head-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul
Fruit Type:
Achene
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep
Additional Info:
Not showy, Accessory tissue, Burrs for animal dispersal
Bark or Stem Colour:
Red, Tan
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes, Runners (or stolons)
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Mildew, Rust (Pest resistant, Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
