Desmocladus microcarpus (Meney & Pate) B.G.Briggs

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Restionaceae > Desmocladus

Characteristics

Herbs, dioecious, caespitose, perennial, forming small or very small tussocks. Cataphylls pale brown, 0.4–1.0 cm long; lamina slender, 1–4 mm long. Culms erect, mostly unbranched, infrequently with a single branch, glabrous, minutely asperous, 4.5–12 (–18) cm long, 0.3–0.6 mm diam., green, adaxial side grooved; basal internode straight and erect, upper internodes sinuous. Sheaths 1–3, persistent, 2–4 mm long, with lamina 2–3 mm long and a tuft of white axillary hairs. Spikelets ovoid; glumes tan-brown; apically obtuse, villous; with a wide membranous margin. Male spikelets terminal on culms, 4–10 mm long, 1.5–4 mm wide; glumes c. 10–55, up to 7 lower glumes sterile, persistent, oblong to ovate, 2–3 mm long; mucro 0.5–1.3 mm long. Female spikelets 1–3 per culm, terminal and sessile at upper nodes, 2–4 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, with 4 or 5 flowers; glumes c. 10–23, lower 5–15 glumes sterile, upper glumes caducous, oblong, 2–3 mm long; mucro 1–2 mm long. Flowers: tepals 5, hyaline. Male flowers: tepals 1.3–3 mm long, minutely apically ciliate; filaments 1.2–3 mm long; anthers exserted, 1.0–1.6 mm long. Female flowers: tepals 5, glabrous; outer tepals keeled, c. 1.2–1.9 mm long; inner tepals flat, slightly shorter; ovary unilocular, style 1, mostly stigmatic. Nut ovoid, 2.5 mm long, brown, glossy, with lateral ridges marking the carpel margins and a short blunt stylar beak. Culm anatomy: chlorenchyma continuous, of a single layer of peg-cells; vessels scattered in the central ground tissue as well as in an outer ring.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
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Environment

On white or grey sand with laterite gravel in shrubland; mostly found in disturbed or recently burnt sites.
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Desmocladus microcarpus world distribution map, present in Australia

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77154469-1
WFO ID wfo-0001345360
COL ID 352XQ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Onychosepalum microcarpum Desmocladus microcarpus