Plants of
South Australia
Desmocladus diacolpicus
Restionaceae
Bundled Cord-rush
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
Least concern
Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically endangered
Extinct
Data deficient
Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Prior names

Loxocarya fasciculata

Etymology

Desmocladus from the Greek 'desmos' meaning band or chain and 'klados; meaning branch. Diacolpicus from the Greek 'dia' meaning through or between and 'kolpos' meaning bay or gulf, referring to the species occurrence on both sides of the Great Australian Bight.

Distribution and status

Found on Eyre Peninsula and on Kangaroo Island in South Australi, growing on sand in low open heath and mallee vegetation. Also found in Western Australia but is reported as probably extinct due to its occurrence in a region subjected to extensive clearing and salinisation. Native. Very rare in South Australia. Presumed Extinct in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island
NRM regions: Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Erect clumping grass-like sedge to15 cm tall, with leaves and flowers occurring in whorls up the stem. Fruits are clusters of brown nuts in whorls. Seeds are brown ovoid seed to 3.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and December. Collect fruits that are brown or break-off short stems with numerous brown fruit. Place stems in a tray to dry for 1 to 2 weeks. Then rub the stem gently with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the 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 average, at 80%.

Seeds stored:
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LocationNo. of seeds
(weight grams)
Number
of plants
Date
collected
Collection number
Collection location
Date
stored
% ViabilityStorage
temperature
BGA 
MSB
140 (0.25 g)
1,500 (3.85 g)
5010-Nov-2008DJD1371
Kangaroo Island
20-Jul-200980%-18°C
Location: BGA — the seeds are stored at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, MSB — the seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew, England.
Number of plants: This is the number of plants from which the seeds were collected.
Collection location: The Herbarium of South Australia's region name.
% Viability: Percentage of filled healthy seeds determined by a cut test or x-ray.