Common names
Hooked-leaf Saw Sedge
Curled Saw-sedge
Donkey Saw-sedge
Etymology
Gahnia named after Dr. Henricus Gahn, 19th century Swedish botanist and student of Linnaeus. Ancistrophylla from the Greek 'ancistron' meaning fish-hook and 'phyllon' meaning a leaf, referring to the strongly hooked leaf apex
Distribution and status
Found on southern Eyre Peninsula and southern Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia, with an isolated collection from the mid-north, growing on calcareous and lateritic soils in heath and woodland. Also found in Western Australia and Victoria. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Rare in Victoria. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Southern Lofty
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Northern and Yorke
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Low tussock-forming perennial sedge with slender culms to 80 cm high and 1 mm diameter. Leaf-blades filiform, channelled, erect, with a hooked or curved apex; smooth, shorter than or equalling inflorescence. Sheaths dark brown to blackish, dull. Inflorescence slender, erect, to 40 cm long with spikelets not clustered. Flowering in winter and spring. Fruits are brown spike. Seeds are dark brown to black three-sided ovoid seed to 1.7 mm long and 1 mm wide, with fine tuberculate surface. Seed embryo type is capitate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and January. Collect heads that are dying off, turning brown and containing hard dark seeds. Place the heads in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the heads with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate any unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. From one collection, the seed viability was high, at 85%.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 1,100 (0.91 g) 1,100 (0.91 g) | 12 | 6-Jan-2016 | DJD3308 Southern Lofty | 2-May-2017 | 85% | -18°C |