Baloskion tetraphyllum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Restionaceae |
Genus: | Baloskion |
Species: | B. tetraphyllum |
Binomial name | |
Baloskion tetraphyllum | |
Synonyms | |
Restio tetraphyllusLabill. Contents |
Baloskion tetraphyllum, commonly known as tassel rope-rush, is a species of grass native to Australia. [1] It is a large and somewhat common species of restionaceae which can be easily identified by its bright green colour and its tasseled branches with soft, hairlike texture.
Baloskion tetraphyllum is an understory species which grows between 0.5-2m tall. It is a semi-erect perennial herb with rigid emergent stems (or culms) which, through repeated branching, reduces in internal rigidity causing the plant to droop along the end of its stem. These stems are hollow towards the base and have an initial diameter of 3-5mm before they branch.
B. tetraphyllum appears in clusters which are typically greater than 1m wide; these vary from being very tightly packed, to occurring in more spread-out bunches. B. tetraphyllum has smooth, beautifully bright green culms which repeatedly branch into whorls out of tan coloured sheaths.
The reproductive structure of this plant occurs as a bunch of narrow spikelets at the end of the branches, these are its flowers which are tan colour and can be found from 15-450 times per branch.
There are two plants which can look very similar to B. tetraphyllum, and telling the difference between these and B. tetraphyllum can be very easy if you know what to look for. Baloskion australe is very closely related, however its completely erect stems do not branch into feathery tassels like the B. tetraphyllum and it is much smaller, only reaching 0.35-1m tall. [2] Even more closely related is the subspecies of B. tetraphyllum, Meiostachyum, which is smaller and found in warmer climates, typically between south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, and it has a greater number of spikelets, between 200 and 450. [3]
B. tetraphyllum can be found growing in swampy places, such as stream banks and wetlands. It grows well in disturbed areas, often seen growing at the edge of carparks and beside walking trails. B. tetraphyllum will grow well in both sand and peat soils.
B. tetraphyllum has a very widespread range and can be found continually along the east of Australia from Queensland to Tasmania. In Tasmania the range of this plant is typically restrained to the western side of Tyler’s Line. [1]
B. tetraphyllum uses wind dispersal to reproduce, the seeds detach with the flower which act as wings to help the seed put distance between itself and the parent plant. [4] B. tetraphyllum is an obligate seeder and typically needs fire to germinate, meaning reproduction has far better luck when a fire passes through an area. B. tetraphyllum is not able to resprout following a fire and completely relies on its seeds to regenerate, this becomes an issue if there is a short interval between fires and the seedbank cannot be replenished between instances of fire [5] .
B. tetraphyllum is a beautiful grass which is often used as a decorative garden species and sold for its cut flowers; it is also a plant which has been used for wetland and mine site rehabilitation. [5] B. tetraphyllum’s close relationship with fire, as well as its fussy nature during propagation, has led to research into increasing propagation success through a variety of methods, this has yielded results which make the production of the species a lot easier. [5] [6]
B. tetraphyllum was initially described by Jacques Labillardière in 1806 in his series Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen where it was placed in the genus Restio , it was known as Restio tetraphyllum until 1998 when it was moved into the Baloskion genus. [6]
As it has such a wide range across Australia B. tetraphyllum has been blessed quite a few common names, these include: Australian reed, Dingo fern, Feather-plant, Feathertop, Hair-plant, Koala fern and Plume rush.
The Restionaceae, also called restiads and restios, are a family of flowering plants native to the Southern Hemisphere; they vary from a few centimeters to 3 meters in height. Following the APG IV (2016): the family now includes the former families Anarthriaceae, Centrolepidaceae and Lyginiaceae, and as such includes 51 genera with 572 known species. Based on evidence from fossil pollen, the Restionaceae likely originated more than 65 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period, when the southern continents were still part of Gondwana.
Bambusa vulgaris, common bamboo, is an open-clump type bamboo species. It is native to Indochina and to the province of Yunnan in southern China, but it has been widely cultivated in many other places and has become naturalized in several regions. Among bamboo species, it is one of the largest and most easily recognized.
Mary Douglas Tindale was an Australia Australian botanist. She was an Australian botanist specialising in pteridology (ferns) and the genera Acacia and Glycine. She devoted her life to the study of ferns, and her name is widely associated with the group of flowerless plants.
Bromus hordeaceus, the soft brome, is an annual or biennial species of grass in the grass family (Poaceae). It is also known in North America as bull grass, soft cheat, and soft chess.
Thamnochortus insignis is a species of grass-like restio of the family Restionaceae, endemic to Cape Province in South Africa.
Prostanthera galbraithiae, commonly known as Wellington mint-bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae and is endemic to Victoria in Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with densely hairy branches that are more or less square in cross-section, narrow egg-shaped or oblong leaves with the edges rolled under, and deep mauve to purple flowers with maroon dots inside the petal tube.
Empodisma minus, commonly known as (lesser) wire rush or spreading rope-rush, is a perennial evergreen belonging to the southern-hemisphere family of monocotyledonous plants Restionaceae. The Latin name Empodisma minus translates to “tangle-foot” “small”. E. minus is found from Queensland to South Australia, Tasmania and throughout New Zealand south of 38 ° latitude, or the central north island. Its current conservation status is “Least concern”. In 2012, the new species Empodisma robustum was described in New Zealand, with what was previously described as E. minus from the lowland raised bogs of Waikato and Northland now being re-classified as E. robustum. E. minus remains an important peatformer in the south of New Zealand and in high altitude peatlands.
Alexgeorgea is a genus of three plant species found in Western Australia belonging to the family Restionaceae named in honour of the botanist Alex George in 1976. The flowers of the female and large nut-like fruit are completely underground except for the stigmas, which extend out of the ground as 3 purple or red threads.
Willdenowia is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Restionaceae described as a genus in 1790. The entire genus is endemic to the fynbos of the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
Lolium giganteum, giant fescue, is a woodland grass that grows on neutral to base-rich soils, often near streams or other damp places. It is native to Europe and much of Asia and has been introduced to parts of North America.
Cyperus viscidulus is a sedge of the family Cyperaceae that is native to north western Australia.
Acacia arafurica is a shrub belonging to the subgenus Phyllodineae of the genus Acacia in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Northern Territory, Australia.
Baloskion longipes, common name dense cordrush, is a dioecious perennial herb in the Restionaceae family, found in southeastern New South Wales.
Chordifex hookeri is commonly known as woolly buttonrush or cord-rush. It is a rush species of the genus Chordifex in the family Restionaceae. The species is endemic to Tasmania.
Eleocharis confervoides is a species of plant in the sedge family (Cyperaceae). It is a perennial, submerged, aquatic and deeply rooted herb. It is known by its common name Algal bulrush and has lots of synonyms. The species has worldwide but very spotty distribution and is native in many tropical and subtropical regions in America, Asia and Africa. It inhabits in water, usually in shallow or deep lakes and ponds. The plant has slender stem with many branches, the leaves float in the water and flowers are usually emergent over the water surface. Fruiting occurs in fall. The most occurrences of plant appear in April and frequency of occurrences is increasing the last years
Chordifex laxus is a rush species of the genus Chordifex in the family Restionaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.
Leptocarpus laxus is a rush species of the genus Leptocarpus in the family Restionaceae. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.
Tremulina tremula is a plant in the Restionaceae family, found in the south-west of Western Australia.
Cyperus eglobosus is a species of sedge that is native to Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia.
Eurychorda is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Restionaceae formally described in 1998. The only known species, Eurychorda complanata, commonly known as the flat cord-rush, is endemic to Australia. It is characterised by flattened stems and reduced, sheathing leaves.