Gahnia lanigera, also known as the black grass saw-sedge, desert saw-sedge or little saw-sedge , is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family that is found in southern Australia. The specific epithet lanigera means 'woolly'.
| Gahnia lanigera | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Gahnia |
| Species: | G. lanigera
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| Binomial name | |
| Gahnia lanigera | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description edit
The plant is a rhizomatous, tufted perennial sedge growing up to 45 cm high and 2 m wide, with stiff, narrow, sharp-pointed leaves. The flowers are brown.[1][2] It is a favoured food plant of Antipodia atralba, the black and white skipper butterfly.[3]
Distribution and habitat edit
The species occurs in arid parts of southern Western Australia, South Australia, north-western Victoria and western New South Wales where it is found on sandy soils in mallee woodland and heathland, as well as on clayey or granitic loams and coastal dunes.[1][2]
References edit
- ^ a b "Gahnia lanigera (R.Br.) Benth. Desert Saw-sedge". VicFlora. Royal Botanic Gardens Foundation Victoria. 12 Jan 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ a b Grazyna Paczkowska (18 November 1993). "Gahnia lanigera (R.Br.) Benth. Little Sedge". FloraBase. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "black grass saw-sedge". Butterfly Conservation SA Inc. 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
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