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]
| Lepidosperma avium | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| 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
| |
| |
Taxonomy
editLepidosperma 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
editLepidosperma 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
editL. 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
edit- ^ Lepidosperma avium K.L.Wilson, retrieved 2024-05-31
- ^ Seeds of South Australia - Species Information, retrieved 2024-05-31
- ^ a b c "Lepidosperma avium" (PDF), Rare plants of the APY Lands, archived (PDF) from the original on 3 Apr 2021
- ^ a b c d 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
- ^ a b 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
- ^ Australia, Atlas of Living, Species: Lepidosperma avium (Central Australian Rapier-Sedge), retrieved 2024-06-02