Lepidosperma longitudinale
Encyclopedia
Lepidosperma longitudinale is commonly known as the Pithy Sword-sedge or Pith Saw Sedge. It is an evergreen species of sedge
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 0.5 metres (2 ft) to 2 metres (7 ft). The culms are erect, biconvex, glabrous, smooth with a width of between 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) and 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in), 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
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
s in the form of an almost oval brown nut that is 2 mm wide and 3-4mm in length.
The preferred habitat of L longitudinale is freshwater
areas such as swamps, lake edges, floodways, creekbanks and seeps. The plant tends to spread with its creeping rhizome
s to form new stems to form dense monoculture
colonies.
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
that is native to swampy areas of most Australian states. It was described by French botanist Jacques Labillardière
Jacques Labillardière
Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
in 1805.
L longitudinale is a clump forming perennial that has a short thick rhizome that can grow to a height of 0.5 metres (2 ft) to 2 metres (7 ft). The culms are erect, biconvex, glabrous, smooth with a width of between 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) and 10 millimetre (0.393700787401575 in), 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
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
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
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s in the form of an almost oval brown nut that is 2 mm wide and 3-4mm in length.
The preferred habitat of L longitudinale is freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
areas such as swamps, lake edges, floodways, creekbanks and seeps. The plant tends to spread with its creeping rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s to form new stems to form dense monoculture
Monoculture
Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. It is also known as a way of farming practice of growing large stands of a single species. It is widely used in modern industrial agriculture and its implementation has allowed for large harvests from...
colonies.