Botanical art
Prior names
Triglochin mucronatum, orth.var.
Triglochin mucronatum, orth.var.
Triglochin neesii
Triglochin calcarata
Common names
Prickly Arrowgrass
Etymology
Triglochin from the Greek 'treis' meaning three and 'glochis' meaning a point; referring to its three-sided carpels. Mucronata from the Latin 'mucronatus' meaning mucronate, with a hard sharp-pointed tip; referring to its carpels with spreading tips.
Distribution and status
Found in the southern part of South Australia, from the Eyre Peninsula to the lower South-east, growing on damp saline soils in herbfields of salt-flats and coastal saltmarshes. Also found in Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Common in South Australia. Very rare in Tasmania. Rare in Victoria. Common in Western Australia.
Herbarium regions: Eyre Peninsula, Murray, Yorke Peninsula, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Small annual herb to 10 cm high. Leaves flat and thread-like 5 cm long, usually shorter than the inflorescence. Inflorescence an erect, ascending or spreading spike to 10 cm long, fruiting part at the top to 1.5 cm long, with 3–15 fruits. Flowering between July to September. Fruits are straw-coloured (tinged of red) inverted pyramid-shaped fruit 2.5 mm long and 2.2 mm wide (excluding spreading points), stalkless or very short stalk, with six seed segments (carpels), 3 fertile alternating with 3 undeveloped sterile ones. Seeds are straw-coloured (tinged of red) wedge-shaped seed to 2.3 mm long and 1.3 mm wide, truncate with 1 median spreading point at top end. Seed embryo type is linear.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between August and October. Collect mature fruits either by breaking off individual spikes or by removing plants that are drying off with fruits that are straw-colour and seed segments coming apart easily. Place the fruit spikes in a tray and leave to dry for 1 to 2 weeks. Then rub the dried fruit spikes 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. 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 MSB | 8,000 (7.35 g) 8,000 (7.35 g) | 50+ | 1-Oct-2007 | RJB75128 South Eastern | 19-Sep-2008 | 95% | -18°C |
MSB | 4,900 (3.57 g) | 100+ | 2-Oct-2009 | DJD1625 Yorke Peninsula | 100% |