''Lepidosperma longitudinale'' is commonly known as the pithy sword-sedge or pith saw-sedge. It is an evergreen species of
sedge
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...
that is native to swampy areas of most Australian states. It was described by French botanist
Jacques Labillardière in 1805.
''L longitudinale'' is a clump forming perennial that has a short thick rhizome that can grow to a height of to . The
culms are erect, biconvex, glabrous, smooth with a width of between and , they are also quite sharp on the edges. The leaves are yellow to red at the base and have a dark and pointed tip
Flowering occurs between the months of May to October. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s of ''L longitudinale'' are brown in color and occur at the top of the stems. Each stem is topped with
spikelets that are 5 to 7 mm in length and each contain 2-3 small flowers.
This sedge forms
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
s in the form of an almost oval brown nut that is 2 mm wide and 3 – 4 mm in length.
The preferred habitat of ''L longitudinale'' is
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
areas such as swamps, lake edges, floodways, creekbanks and seeps. The plant tends to spread with its creeping
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
s to form new stems to form dense
monoculture colonies.
Ecology
''L. longitudinale'' occupies a hygrophilous ecological niche along with other Lepidosperma species; ''
L.australe'', ''
L. effusum'', ''
L. gladiatum'' , ''
L. quadrangulatum'', ''
L. striatum'' and ''
L. tetraquetrum''.
[
It has numerous ecological associations including the Tasmanian bettong who use it as a protective habitat, the ]Noisy scrub-bird
The noisy scrubbird (''Atrichornis clamosus'') is a species of bird in the family Atrichornithidae. It is endemic to the coastal heaths of south-western Australia (east of Albany).
Description
The noisy scrubbird features a dark brown coloure ...
, Southern emu-wren
The southern emu-wren (''Stipiturus malachurus'') is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, and swamplands. ...
and the Red-winged fairy-wren
The red-winged fairywren (''Malurus elegans'') is a species of passerine bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is non-migratory and endemic to the southwestern corner of Western Australia. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorph ...
who makes nests from the leaves. The plant acts as a host for the moths '' Elachista faberella'', '' Elachista lachnella'' and '' Elachista spathacea ''.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6527698
longitudinale
Poales of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Flora of Victoria (state)
Flora of Tasmania
Angiosperms of Western Australia
Flora of South Australia
Plants described in 1805
Taxa named by Jacques Labillardière