CYPERACEAE

Chaffy Saw-sedge

 

1.2m 

Many clustered flowers in a dense, bristly flowerhead up to 60cm long. 

Nut 

Densely tufted plant with long, inrolled leaves with fine wavy tips. 

Break O'Day; Brighton; Burnie; Central Coast; Central Highlands; Clarence; Devonport; Dorset; Flinders Island; Georgetown; Glamorgan-Spring Bay; Hobart; Kingborough; Latrobe; Launceston; Northern Midlands; Sorell; Tasman; West Coast; West Tamar 

 

In saline or brackish habitats; coastal creek and river edges, salt marshes and flats near sea level, and up to 200m altitude inland where saline. 

 

 

 

Germinates readily from seed. Division of Gahnia spp. tends to have little success. Requires moist, sandy soil in a sunny position. This species is common in the wetland flats at Lauderdale and Pittwater in the southeast, and helps provide habitat for migratory birds. A host plant of the Chrysotricha Skipper butterfly (Hesperilla chrysotricha), also known as the goldenhaired sedge-skipper. The butterflies twist the leaves togetherin a spiral to form a shelter. Suitable below powerlines. 

Nut 5-6mm long, triangular and rusty brown when mature. Most of the seed will remain held in the seedhead for at least a month. Cut the seedheads with secateurs and allow to dry, then vigorously thresh against a hard surface to extract seed. 

Bog method 

 

 

Cover seed lightly. Requires 12 months of storage. Smoke, acid treatment or scarification may improve results.