Botanical art
Prior names
Luzula campestris, partly
Luzula meridionalis var. densiflora
Common names
Dense Wood-rush
Etymology
Luzula, possibly from the Italian 'luzziola' meaning sparkle or a fire-fly or from the Latin 'luxulae, 'meaning light, probably alluding to the sparkling and quivering character of the heads when wet with dew. Densiflora, from Latin for densely flowered, referring to its clusters of dense inflorescence.
Distribution and status
Found on the southern Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the South-east in South Australia, growing in moist rather shady sites, on clay, in eucalypt woodland or open grassland. Also found in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Rare in South Australia. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Loosely tufted perennial sedge with flowering stems 40 cm high, generally exceeding leaves and with a bulbous or swollen base. Leaves flat, to 3 mm wide with densely hairy margins and an obtuse and thickened apex. Inflorescence, dense clusters with many pale to reddish brown flowers at the end of a long stalk. Flowering between July and November. Fruits are dense clusters of reddish-brown fruiting spike. Seeds are brown ellipsoid seed to 0.9 mm long and 0.8 mm wide, with a large white fleshy appendage at one end. Seed embryo type is broad.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between October and January. 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 two collections, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGA MSB | 3,500 (1.09 g) 3,500 (1.09 g) | 50+ | 20-Oct-2006 | DJD610 Southern Lofty | 1-Aug-2007 | 100% | -18°C |
| MSB | 6,000 (2.86 g) | 30 | 19-Oct-2007 | RJB74940 Murray | 100% | ||
| BGA | 4,800 (1.42 g) | 40+ | 14-Nov-2007 | DJD941 Southern Lofty | 19-Sep-2008 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C |
| BGA | 2,600 (0.905 g) | 40 | 30-Nov-2021 | DJD4075 Kangaroo Island | 7-Jul-2022 | 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.