Botanical art
Prior names
Elynanthus sculptus
Common names
Gimlet Bog-sedge
Gimlet Bog-rush
Etymology
Schoenus which is Latin word for some grass or reed, which is from the Greek 'skhoinos'. Sculptus from the Latin 'sculptura' meaning sculpture, possibly referring to the trabeculate (sculptured) surface of the seed.
Distribution and status
Found scattered across Eyre Peninusla, Kangaroo island the South-east in South Australia, growing in seasonally wet, sandy areas. Also found in Western Australia and Victoria. Native. Rare in South Australia. Rare in Victoria. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small annual, grass-like herb to 10 cm high, with weakly erect, terete, striate, nodeless stems and reddish, striate or smooth, shiny leaves. Inflorescence erect, to 10 cm long, with spikelets loosely clustered at 1–5 nodes. Lowest involucral bract to 7 cm long. Spikelets narrow-ovate, acute, 2–6-flowered, glumes 4–8, lowest 1 or 2 empty, straw-coloured with red-brown patches, shining, with glabrous margins and slightly wrinkled midvein. Flowering between September and November. Fruits are brown heads at the end of stems. Seeds trigonous to obovoid, prominently 3-ribbed, each face with columns of large pits, shining, white to grey, to 1.5 mm long and 0.8 mm wide. Seed embryo type is capitate.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. Collect fruits by picking off the mature heads or whole plants that are turning brown. Place the heads/plants 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.
Fire response
Obligate re-seeder.
Longevity: 1 year
Time to flowering: 1 year
Recovery work
In 2020-2021 this species was assessed post-fire in 1 year and 2 year old fire scars. A total of 14,250 seeds have been collected & banked for 3 populations inside the 2020 fire scar. Germination screening testing the response to fire cues will be undertaken in 2021.This project was supported by the World Wildlife Fund program.
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA | 4,300 (1.1 g) | 50 | 22-Oct-2007 | RJB74960 Southern Lofty | 19-Sep-2008 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C |
| BGA MSB | 9,900 (1.99 g) 9,900 (1.99 g) | 18-Sep-2007 | RJB74246 South Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 90% | +5°C, -18°C | |
| BGA | 600 (0.160 g) | 10+ | 12-Dec-2020 | JRG777 Kangaroo Island | 28-Jun-2021 | 90% | -18°C |
| BGA | 600 (0.160 g) | 15 | 9-Dec-2020 | JRG765 Kangaroo Island | 28-Jun-2021 | 92% | -18°C |
| BGA | 13,050 (2.610 g) | 100+ | 13-Jan-2021 | DJD3985 Kangaroo Island | 28-Jun-2021 | 70% | -18°C, -80°C |
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.