Scientific Name: Lepidosperma tortuosum

Common Name: twisting rapiersedge

Family Classification (Clade): Monocots

Family: Cyperaceae

Threatened Species Status: Rare

Permit: It is an offence to collect, disturb, damage or destroy this species unless under permit.

Form Description: Slender, tufted sedge with spirally twisted leaves and wavy stems.

Flowers: 2-5 flowers in a spike.

Fruit: Nut – small, 3-3.5mm long and greenish; contained in dry seed heads.

Municipality
Break O’DayGlamorgan-Spring BayKingboroughNorthern MidlandsSouthern Midlands
Plant Communities
No data available for this species
Habitat Notes

Open eucalypt woodland in the north-east and east coast, from sea level to 460m altitude.

General Notes

Resistant to Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Propagation Calendar

  • Flowering Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Seed Collecting Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Sowing Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
  • Cutting Month
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Propagation Method
Seed, Division

Seed Information

Seed Collection

Very difficult to grow from seed. Some species retain seed on the plant for several years. Cut the whole seed head with secateurs and allow to dry. Beat against a hard surface to extract, being careful of sharp foliage.

Seed Treatment Method

Smoke Smoke treatment improves germination in some species. Smokey products, e.g. smokey vermiculite, can be purchased and applied to the sown seed, or sown seeds can be treated directly with smoke from a source such as a drum with a fire and hose.

Seed Treatment Notes

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.

Cutting & Division Information

Can be propagated by division over the winter months, but plants are slow to re-establish.