Botanical art
Common names
Broad-leaf Rush
Etymology
Juncus from the Latin 'jungere' meaning to tie or bind; referring to the use of the rushes for weaving and basketry. Planifolius from the Latin 'planus' and 'folium' meaning a leaf; referring to it having flat leaves.
Distribution and status
Fund in the southern Flinders ranges, Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the South-east in South Australia, growing in disturbed and undisturbed damp sites such as swamps, creeks, paddocks and roadside ditches. Also found in all states (and New Zealand, Chile, Hawaii) except in the Northern Territory. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Tufted or with short vertical rhizome, annual or perennial sedge with leafless, slender stems (culms) to 30 cm high. Leaves mainly basal, glabrous, solid, flat, or slightly channelled, grass-like, to 8 mm wide, shorter than or occasionally equalling the stems. Inflorescence terminal, diffuse or head-like spike to 12 cm long with clusters of red-brown flowers. Flowering between September to February. Fruits are clusters of golden brown to red-brown ovoid capsules with numerous seeds. Seeds are tiny orange ellipsoid seed to 0.4 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, with fine reticulated surface. Seed embryo type is broad.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November 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 collection, the seed viability was high, at 100%
| Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSB | 250,000 (4 g) | 50+ | 29-Mar-2006 | DJD445 Southern Lofty | |||
| BGA | 185,600 (5.94 g) | 40 | 3-Jan-2007 | RJB71002 Murray | 1-Aug-2007 | 100% | -18°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.