Journal article

In situ seed development and in vitro regeneration of three difficult-to-propagate Lepidosperma species (Cyperaceae)

A Kodym, S Turner, J Delpratt

Australian Journal of Botany | CSIRO PUBLISHING | Published : 2010

Abstract

Field studies of fruit production from Lepidosperma concavum R.Br., L. laterale R.Br. and L. longitudinale Labill. showed that large proportions (21-77%) of fruits were unfilled and that filled and unfilled fruits looked alike. Bagging of inflorescences demonstrated that filled fruits tended to be shed, while empty fruits remained within the inflorescence. Time of collection was critical for obtaining viable seeds, with successful harvesting limited to a short period (weeks) after maturation. The timing of flowering and fruit maturation were fairly consistent between species, populations and years in our study area. In L. concavum fruit production was increased in cultivation compared with w..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council


Funding Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the RBG Melbourne for the use of the aspirator and the preparation of voucher specimens and W. Worboys from RBG Cranbourne for enabling seed collections. D. Carew and staff from Australian Ecosystems P/L and Wetland & Wildlife Creations P/L provided practical advice. We would also like to thank R. Barrett for his expertise in Lepidosperma taxonomy. Dr A. Kodym is an Erwin Schrodinger Fellow from the Austrian Science Fund (project J2729-BO3) and Dr S. Turner is supported under Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects funding scheme (project LP0669589).