Annual Flat-sedge
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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
Display IBRA region text
Murray Mallee (MDD02) | Murray Darling Depression | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii)) (Probable Decline) [only on river; not seen since 1994] |
Murray Scroll Belt (RIV06) | Riverina | Vulnerable (IUCN: VU B2ab(i,ii,iii)) (Probable Decline) [only on river; not seen since 1994] |
Bimbowrie (BHC05) | Broken Hill Complex | Data Deficient [DD, spread by birds after flood, ephemeral] |
Oodnadatta (STP02) | Stony Plains | Rare (IUCN: RA d(i,ii)) [outlier] |
Lake Pure (CHC07) | Channel Country | Near Threatened [outlier] |
Prior names
Cyperus pumilus var. nervulosus
Etymology
Cyperus from the Latin 'cyperos' and derived from the Greek 'kypeiros', an ancient Greek name used by Homer and Theophrastus for several plants of this genus. Nervulosus means with little veins.
Distribution and status
Found mainly along the river Murray with scattered records in the central and north-east parts of South Australia, growing on damp sandy soil fringing receding water in lakes and watercourses. Also found in all mainland states. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in New South Wales and Victoria. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Lake Eyre, Eastern, Murray
NRM regions: South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Dwarf tufted annual sedge. Culms trigonous, smooth, to 20 cm high, to 1 mm diameter. Leaves not septate-nodulose, as long as culms or much shorter, to 2 mm wide. Flower-spike simple, of 2–6 branches to 6 cm long, or head-like; spikes short, broad-ovoid, to 4 cm diam.; involucral bracts leaf-like, 2–4 exceeding inflorescence. Spikelets flattened, 5–20 per spike, 5–20 mm long, 2–3 mm wide in side view, 6–54-flowered; rachilla not or scarcely winged, persistent; glumes obtuse, with excurved mucro to 0.7 mm long, with keel 3–5-nerved, sides hyaline, pale yellow- to red rown, 2–2.5 mm long (excluding mucro); stamens 2. Flowers in spring and summer. Fruits are pale brown globular fruit-head in clusters at the terminal of stems. Seeds are dark brown to black ovoid seed to 0.6 mm long and 0.2 mm wide, with a tuberculate surface and covered in a thin whitish transparent layer. Seed embryo type is capitate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between December and April. Collect fruits by picking off the mature heads, those turning brown colour and come-off easily. 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. Be careful as the seeds are very small. Seeds are ovid, dark brown to black and hard. 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 95%.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature | BGA | 44,000 (0.75 g) | 50 | 11-May-2008 | RJB77864 Lake Eyre | 19-Sep-2008 | 95% | +5°C, -18°C |
BGA | 45,000 (0.9 g) | 50+ | 28-Feb-2017 | DJD3624 Murray | 1-Nov-2017 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C, -80°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.
Germination table:
Display
Date | Result | T0 | T50 | Pre-treatment | Germination medium | Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod |
Jun-17 | 93% | 7 | 7 |
30% hydrogen peroxide for 10 min, water rinse, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid for 44 h; 1% agar; Incubated under summer conditions |
Jun-17 | 83% | 7 | 14 |
1% agar; Incubated under summer conditions |
Jun-17 | 17% | 14 | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide for 10 min, water rinse, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid for 44 h; 1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions |
Jun-17 | 3% | 28 | NA |
1% agar; Incubated under spring/autumn conditions |
Jun-17 | 0% | NA | NA |
1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions |
Jun-17 | 0% | NA | NA |
30% hydrogen peroxide for 10 min, water rinse, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid for 44 h; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions |
Result: Maximum percentage of germination observed.
T0: Number of days before first germinant observed.
T50: Number of days to achieve 50% germination.
Pre-treatment: The initial treatment that the seeds received prior to placement on germination media.
Germination medium: The substrate that seeds were placed on for the duration of the germination experiment.
Incubator conditions:
Photoperiod: The duration of light exposure that the seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Thermoperiod: The constant or diurnal temperatures that seeds were subject to during a 24 hour period.
Winter conditions: 15°C 20 h (3am→11pm); 5°C 4 h (11pm→3am) / 10 h light (8am→6pm); 14 h dark (6pm→8am)
Spring/Autumn conditions: 22°C 12 h (8am→8pm); 10°C 12 h (8pm→8am) / 12 h light (8am→8pm); 12 h dark (8pm→8am)
Summer conditions: 30°C 14 h (6am→8pm); 15°C 10 h (8pm→6am) / 14 h light (6am→8pm); 10 h dark (8pm→6am)