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Species profile—Eleocharis blakeana

Classification

Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → CyperaceaeEleocharis blakeana

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Species details

Kingdom
Plantae (plants)
Class
Equisetopsida (land plants)
Family
Cyperaceae
Scientific name
Eleocharis blakeana L.A.S.Johnson & O.D.Evans
WildNet taxon ID
11468
Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
Least concern
Conservation significant
No
Confidential
No
Wetland status
Wetland Indicator Species
Endemicity
Native
Pest status
Nil
Short Notes
BRI 078495, handwriting of author
Description
Eleocharis blakeana is a perennial sedge with densely tufted, green, cylindrical stems which are transversely septate, up to 50 cm long and about 1 mm wide. The leaves are reduced to a narrow cylindrical sheath which surrounds the base of each stem. The sheaths are reddish-brown or purplish in colour and truncate with a distinct mucro at the tip. The flowers are borne in a dense cylindrical cluster up to 20 cm long at the end of the stems. The glumes (scales encasing the flower cluster) are spirally arranged, pale brown to red-brown, ovate to lance shaped and 2.5 to 3.2 mm long. The nuts are shiny, yellowish to golden brown, 1.3 to 1.6 mm long by 0.6 to 0.8 mm wide, egg-shaped in outline and with a small cone-shaped point at the tip. Each nut is surrounded by 6 to 8 appressed bristles, which are about 1/4 to 2/3 the length of the nut.
This species can be mistaken for other Eleocharis species which also have septate stems, but it is distinguished by the smaller glumes and the truncate sheath with a distinct mucro. (Halford 1996; Wilson 2006).
Distribution
Eleocharis blakeana is known from Royles near Marlborough, south to near Talwood on the Queensland/New South Wales border. It is recorded from Lake Broadwater Conservation Park and Bringalily State Forest in Queensland. This species has also been recorded from central northern New South Wales (Halford 1996; Wilson 2006; Queensland Herbarium 2012).
Distributional limits
-22.688864, 147.4111513
-28.5906398, 151.1094265
Range derivation
Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
Habitat
Eleocharis blakeana occurs on plains and low undulating country on poorly drained, clayey soils. It commonly grows in ephemeral wet habitats in melon hole country in brigalow and belah woodlands, and in small depressions along drainage lines in open forest and woodland communities. (Halford 1996; Wilson 2006)
Reproduction
In this species, flowers have been recorded from March to July and in October. (Halford 1996)
Threatening processes
The majority of the collections of Eleocharis blakeana are from freehold land or along roadsides. One population of E. blakeana is recorded from Lake Broadwater Conservation Park and one from Bringalily State Forest. There are no quantitative data on the present population levels of E. blakeana in the wild. A number of past records are now highly modified habitats, for example, as a result of agricultural development. The species is normally subjected to some form of seasonal inundation which is reflected in its occurrence in modified habitats where water can collect (Halford, 1996).
Notes
Contributors: Ron Booth, Mellisa Mayhew 16/02/2009
References
Halford, D. (1996). Eleocharis blakeana, in Species Management Manual. Department of Natural Resources, Brisbane.
Queensland Herbarium (2012). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 03/04/2012.
Wilson, K.L. (2006). Eleocharis blakeana, in PlantNet: New South Wales Flora Online. National Herbarium of New South Wales. Accessed 30/09/2008. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/.
Profile author
Ronald Booth (25/06/2012)

Other resources

Data source

This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=11468.

This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.

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Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Last updated
20 May 2024