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Scientific Name
Lepidosperma ensiforme
Family Name
CYPERACEAE
Common Name
Arching Swordsedge
Status
Height
2.5m
Flowers
Compact heads of brown flowers at the top of the stem, 15-80cm long.
Fruit
Nut
Form
Perennial plant with leaves up to 1.4m long.
Municipalities
Break O'Day; Burnie; Central Coast; Central Highlands; Circular Head; Clarence; Derwent Valley; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Hobart; Huon Valley; Kentish; King Island; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Meander Valley; Northern Midlands; Sorell; Southern Midlands; Tasman; Waratah-Wynyard; West Coast; West Tamar
Communities
Habitat Notes
In swamps, ditches, coastal riparian scrub, shrubby heath and in shrubbery under light forest cover, from sea level to 500m altitude.
Site Tolerance
Frost Tolerance
Soil Tolerance
General Notes
Very difficult to grow from seed- seed is slow to germinate and may have low viability. Seed is reputed to germinate very slowly if sown in dark and moist conditions. A combined heat-smoke treatment may be worth trying, possibly with older seed. Can be propagated by division over the winter months, but plants are slow to re-establish. Resistant to Phythophthora cinnamomi. Suitable below powerlines.
Propagation Details
Propagation Calendar
Flowering Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Collecting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sowing Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Cutting Months
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Seed Information
Seed Collection
Nuts small, reddish-brown when ripe, and contained in dry seedheads. Some species retain seed on the plant for several years. Cut the whole seedhead with secateurs and allow to dry, beat against a hard surface to extract, being careful of sharp foliage.
Seed Treatment Method
Smoke
Seed Storage Life
Viable Seeds Per Gram
Seed Treatment Notes
Germination Time
Suitable for Direct Seeding
Cuttings
Expected Time to Take Root
Expected Time to Plant Out
Propagation by Division
N.B. Transplant only from nearby to avoid disease.
Yes
Cutting Notes
Copyright 2000-2009, Understorey Network Incorporated. Updated 2024-10-14
Database development and website design by
Andrew Smith