Botanical art
Common names
Small-flower Mat-rush
Etymology
Lomandra, from the Greek 'loma', meaning edge, border or fringe and 'andros,' meaning a male, alluding to the circular margin of the anthers in some species. Micrantha from the Greek 'micros', meaning small and 'anthos', meaning a flower.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia, from Eyre Peninsula to the lower South-east, growing on sand and sandy clay. Also found in Western Australia and Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Dioecious rhizomatous, perennial herb to 0.7 m high; clumps to 0.2 m wide. Leaves to 80 cm long and 2.5 mm wide; filiform or terete; hard and stiff, smooth, plano-convex or slightly channeled, with brown or black basal sheaths. Male flowers spreading or drooping. Female flowers similar but the panicle usually narrower and shorter. Flowers green-purple-brown. Flowering between May and December. Fruits are ovoid to globular capsule to 5 mm long; smooth. Seeds are yellow to brown, rounded wedge-shaped seed to 5 mm long and 3 mm wide. Seed embryo type is linear, underdeveloped.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between December and January. Collect mature fruits, turning brown with a hard seed inside, or when they are starting to split. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand 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 three collections, the seed viability was high, at 100%. This species has morpho-physiological dormancy and can take several weeks to germinate.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 1,700 (26.96 g) | 30 | 17-Nov-2010 | DJD2031 South Eastern | 1-Jan-2012 | 100% | -18°C |