Botanical art
Prior names
Xerotes juncea
Etymology
Lomandra, from the Greek 'loma', meaning edge, border or fringe and 'andros', meaning a male, alluding to the circular margin of the anthers in some species. Juncea, from Latin meaning rush-like, alluding to its appearance.
Distribution and status
Found on Eyre Peninsula, Mount Lofty Ranges, Murrayland and upper Southeast in South Australia, growing in mallee communities on sandy soils. Also found in Victoria. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in Victoria.
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
Tussock perennial herb. Leaves to 50 cm long and 1.5 mm wide; terete, rigid; apex pungent. Inflorescences much shorter than leaves, the male with 3–7 spherical segments; the female with l or 2. Perianth 5 mm long; sepals white; petals yellowish. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are dark purple, almost globular capsule to 6 mm long; smooth. Seeds are yellow-brown, rounded wedge-shaped seed to 4 mm long and 3 mm wide. Seed embryo type is linear, underdeveloped.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and December. Collect mature fruits, turning brown with a hard seed inside, or when they are starting to split. Place the capsules in a tray and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the capsules gently by hand to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the 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 three collections, the seed viability was high, at 100%. This species has morpho-physiological dormancy and is difficult to germinate.
Location | No. of seeds (weight grams) | Number of plants | Date collected | Collection number Collection location | Date stored | % Viability | Storage temperature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BGA MSB | 3,200 (28 g) 3,200 (28 g) | 40 | 20-Nov-2006 | DJD690 Murray | 1-Aug-2007 | 100% | -18°C |
BGA | 2,900 (40.07 g) | 20-Nov-2013 | JRG80 Murray | 1-Nov-2017 | 100% | -18°C |