Botanical art
Prior names
Luzula campestris, partly
Luzula meridionalis var. flaccida
Luzula campestris var. flaccida
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. flaccida from the Latin 'flaccidus', meaning slack or flaccid, referring to its drooping leaf-blades.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in moist rather shady sites in grassy woodland or open grassland. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Rare in South Australia. Uncommon in Queensland. Common in the other States.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Loosely tufted perennial sedge with flowering stems 25 cm high; rarely bulbous at base. Leaves flat, to 6 mm wide with sparsely hairy margins and thick callous obtuse tips. Inflorescence 1-6 clusters with many yellowish to light brown flowers at the end of a long stalk. Flowering between August and November. Fruits are dense clusters of pale golden-brown capsules. Seeds are dark brown to black 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 November 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 one 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA | 17,900 (6.81 g) | 50+ | 14-Nov-2007 | DJD951 Southern Lofty | 19-Sep-2008 | 100% | +5°C, -18°C |
BGA | 4,600 (1.3 g) | 60+ | 15-Nov-2017 | JRG622 South Eastern | 30-Jun-2018 | 100% | -18°C |