Botanical art
Etymology
Juncus from the Latin 'jungere' meaning to tie or bind; referring to the use of the rushes for weaving and basketry. Pallidus from Latin meaning pale; referring to its pale stems.
Distribution and status
Found on the southern Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the South-east in South Australia, growing in seasonally damp places. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Tall, strongly rhizomatous perennial rush with stout stems to 2 m high and 8 mm diameter, pale-green, with moderately dense, continuous pith and numerous fine striations. Leaves reduced to long broad basal sheaths, dark-brown below, pale above. Inflorescence scattered or occasionally clustered heads with many pale brown flowers. Flowering between December and February. Fruits are clusters of golden brown ovoid capsules with numerous seeds. Seeds are tiny orange ovoid seed to 0.7 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, with fine reticulated surface. Seed embryo type is broad.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and April. Collect fruits either by picking off the mature heads, those turning brown and come-off easily or break-off the whole spikes. 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 brown 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 | 7,700 (0.36 g) | 10-Jan-2007 | RJB71076 Southern Lofty | 1-Aug-2007 | 95% | -18°C |