Gahnia sieberiana

Cyperaceae

Red-fruit Saw-sedge,

Red-fruit Cutting-grass

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plant: Gahnia sieberiana Stipiturus CP plant

plant: Gahnia sieberiana resprouting after fire Denzel Murfet Myponga

flower: Gahnia sieberiana Stipiturus CP flowers

flower: Gahnia sieberiana f Denzel Murfet Stipiturus CP

flower: Gahnia sieberiana fl Denzel Murfet Stipiturus CP

fruit: Gahnia sieberiana fr Denzel Murfet Stipiturus CP

dissected seed: Gahnia sieberiana DJD3335 Cut Test 35%

seedling: Gahnia sieberiana sdlg Denzel Murfet Tin Hut Creek

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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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 3

Prior names

Gahnia sieberana, orth.var.

Cladium psittacorum, partly

Gahnia psittacorum, partly

Gahnia tetragonocarpa

Common names

Red-fruit Saw-sedge

Red-fruit Cutting-grass

Etymology

Gahnia named after Dr. Henricus Gahn, 19th century Swedish botanist and student of Linnaeus. Sieberiana named after Franz Wilhelm Sieber (1789-1844), a Bohemian botanist and collector who travelled to Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and Australia.

Distribution and status

Found on Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in damp to wet sites in swamps, heathlands and forest. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales , Victoria, Tasmania, New Guinea and New Caledonia. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Tall, tussock-forming perennial sedge with culms to 2.5 m high and 50 mm diameter. Leaf-blades flat, recurved, scabrous, about as long as culm. Inflorescence erect or somewhat spreading, to 100 cm long, brown to black. Flowers in spring and summer. Seeds are red three-sided, (trigonous) ovoid seed to 4 mm long and 2 mm wide, smooth and shiny. Seed embryo type is capitate.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between November and March. Collect heads that are dying off and turning brown with obvious hard red 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 three collections, the seed viability was high, ranging from 80% to 100%.

Seeds stored:

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Location	No. of seeds (weight grams)	Number of plants	Date collected	Collection number Collection location	Date stored	% Viability	Storage temperature
BGA MSB	31,800 (143.4 g) 31,800 (143.4 g)	50	15-Dec-2004	MKJ53 Kangaroo Island	28-Mar-2006	100%	-18°C
BGA	35,000 (153.94 g)	20+	12-Feb-2008	Cleland CP Southern Lofty	20-Jul-2009	80%	-18°C
BGA	21,700 (88.26 g)		23-Jan-2008	DJD1044 Southern Lofty	20-Jul-2009	85%	-18°C
BGA	2,100 (8.78 g)		5-Jan-2012	Bryan Haywood South Eastern	1-Nov-2012	60%	-18°C
BGA	15,800 (68.46 g)	30+	23-Feb-2016	DJD3335 Southern Lofty	2-May-2017	35%	-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.

Germination table:

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Date	Result	T0	T50	Pre-treatment \| Germination medium \| Incubator: Photoperiod / Thermoperiod
Jul-16	68%	56	84	30%hydrogen peroxide 20 min, water rinse, 10% smoke water 24 h; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions
Jul-16	62%	56	84	dry heat 90Â°C oven 15 min, 30% hydrogen peroxide 20 min, water rinse, 10% smoke water + 500 mg/L gibberellic acid 24 h; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions
Jul-16	38%	63	NA	30% hydrogen peroxide 20 min, water rinse, 500 mg/L gibberellic acid 24 h; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions
Jul-16	34%	56	NA	dry heat 90Â°C oven 15 min, 30% hydrogen peroxide 20 min, water rinse; 1% agar; Incubated under winter conditions
Jul-16	14%	84	NA	30% hydrogen peroxide 20 min, water rinse; 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)

Glenelg Plain (NCP02)	Naracoorte Coastal Plain	Vulnerable (IUCN: VU D1+2) [(no records) THorn & BHaywood have records]
Kangaroo Island (KAN01)	Kanmantoo	Near Threatened [western end; needs lots of water; roadworks, herbicides, blue gums - threats]
Fleurieu (KAN02)		Least Concern
Mount Lofty Ranges (FLB01)	Flinders Lofty Block	Near Threatened