Lepyrodia oligocolea B.G.Briggs & L.A.S.Johnson APNI* Description: Dioecious perennial herb, forming diffuse patches or large tussocks. Rhizome creeping, c. 5 mm diam.; scales red-brown, scarious, extending to c. 6 cm up the culm.
Culms 25–100 cm high, 1.1–1.6 mm diam., spaced 0.7–1 cm apart along rhizome; internodes 2–3. Sheaths 2 or 3, persistent, 2.5–6.0 cm long, loose, lax or recurved, usually with inrolled margins, dark tan or blackish brown, upper cauline sheaths asperous, obtuse to truncate, auricles membranous and weathering away; lamina erect, to c. 5 mm long.
Inflorescence panicle-like, sometimes small, narrow and spike-like, 2–12 cm long; branches to 4 cm long, moderately crowded with flowers, basal inflorescence branch 10–15 mm below next upper branch, upper branches more clustered; spathes usually exceeding branches, 1.6–2.8 cm long; bracteoles 2, shorter than the tepals, cuspidate. Male flowers: tepals rigid, yellow-brown, lanceolate; outer tepals longer, 2.9–4.4 mm long; inner tepals 2.5–3.4 mm long; filaments 1.7–2.5 mm long; anthers c. 2.0 mm long. Female flowers: tepals similar to males; outer tepals 2.8–3.5 mm long; inner tepals 2.8–3.0 mm long.
Fruit c. 2 mm long; seeds ellipsoid, 1.2 mm long, 0.7 mm wide, colliculate with small circular raised areas.
Distribution and occurrence: At altitudes of about 1,000 m on the New England Tableland, near Boonoo Boonoo and in Gibraltar Range National Park. Wet sandy or gravelly soils over granite in swamps and near creeks, often among shrubs.
NSW subdivisions: NT
Distinguished from L. scariosa by the flattened culms and fewer culm sheaths/nodes. There appear to be frequent hybrids with L. anarthria.
Text by BG Briggs and KL Wilson (Oct 2012); edited KL Wilson (Feb 2014)
Taxon concept: BG Briggs and LAS Johnson (2012) Telopea 14: 24
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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