Lepidosperma avium

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Lepidosperma avium
Lepidosperma avium.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Lepidosperma
Species:
L. avium
Binomial name
Lepidosperma avium
K.L.Wilson
Lepidosperma aviumDistMap6.png

Lepidosperma avium, commonly named the central Australian rapier-sedge and the desert rush, is a rare species of sedge found in the Everard Ranges of remote northern South Australia and neighbouring parts of the Northern Territory. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

Lepidosperma avium was first scientifically described by Karen L. Wilson in 1994, from the Everard Ranges, which the species is believed to be endemic to. [4] [5]

L. avium shares the feature of having little, spiky branches and flattened flower clusters with several other species in the same genus: Lepidosperma clipeicola , Lepidosperma pauperum (from New Caledonia), Lepidosperma perteres , and Lepidosperma urophorum . [4]

The species epithet refers to the species' remoteness – avium, comes from the Latin avius, meaning isolated or out of the way. [4]

Specimens of the species are held in each of Australia's state herbariums, as well as in the Australian National Herbarium. [6]

Description

Lepidosperma avium forms clumps, between 1.2 and 2.4 metres (3.9 and 7.9 ft) tall. The stems are stiff, hairless, and smooth, less than a centimetre thick, with small lines and grooves all over the surface. [4] [3]

Ecology

L. avium occupies a "petrophilous (rock-loving)" ecological niche. [5] The sedges grow around rocky hills and boulders. The main threats to the species are bushfires. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Lepidosperma avium K.L.Wilson , retrieved 2024-05-31
  2. ↑ Seeds of South Australia - Species Information , retrieved 2024-05-31
  3. 1 2 3 "Lepidosperma avium" (PDF), Rare plants of the APY Lands , archived (PDF) from the original on 3 Apr 2021
  4. 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Karen L. (1994), "New taxa and combinations in the family Cyperaceae in eastern Australia", Telopea , 5 (4), Sydney: Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, doi: 10.7751/telopea19944989 , retrieved 2024-06-01
  5. 1 2 Barrett, R. L. (2013-04-01), "Ecological importance of sedges: a survey of the Australasian Cyperaceae genus Lepidosperma", Annals of Botany, vol. 111, no. 4, pp. 499–529, doi:10.1093/aob/mct008, ISSN   0305-7364, PMC   3605947 , PMID   23378523 , retrieved 2024-06-02
  6. ↑ Australia, Atlas of Living, Species: Lepidosperma avium (Central Australian Rapier-Sedge) , retrieved 2024-06-02
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