Kangaroo Island woodruff

Scientific name: Asperula tetraphylla     

National status (EPBC Act 1999): Vulnerable

South Australian status: (NPW Act 1972): Vulnerable

Description:

Prostrate decumbent perennial herb with slender stems. Broad leaves in whorls of four, to 6 mm long and 6 mm wide. Numerous white flowers in terminal clusters.  Flowering between September and January.

Distribution:

Endemic to Kangaroo Island. A riparian species that grows on heavy silts and clay soils within oxbows or swales that form off main river channels.

Specific threats:

Threats to Asperula tetraphylla include weed invasion by exotic annual grasses and forbs, altered hydrological regimes resulting in reduced river flows, more frequent drought and flash flooding caused by climate change and a small and fragmented distribution.

Image credit centre: SA Seed Conservation Centre