Briggs and Johnson, Desmocladus (Restionaceae) 
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9. Desmocladus diacolpicus B.G. Briggs & L.A.S. fohnson, sp. nov. 
Plantae parthenicarpae, a D. parthenicus ramulis c. 20 in quoque nodo, spiculis 
plerumque ramulos laterales terminantibus distinguitur. 
Type: South Australia: Hinks National Park, the inner NW angle on the Reserve, S of 
Verran Hill road exit, 9 Oct 1969, D.E. Symon 6271 $ (holo AD; iso CANB, NSW). 
Caespitose; plants all female. Culms unbranched but with clusters of c. 20 branchlets 
at most nodes, erect, terete, minutely tuberculate, glabrous or densely pubescent with 
short hairs, to 20 cm tall or rarely taller, 0.7-1.2 mm diam.; internodes 6-10, often 
partly exposed and not hidden by branchlets; branchlets slender, straight to flexuose 
or tightly recurved, to 2.5 cm long, laterally flattened and rectangular or narrow 
deltoid in cross section. Basal sheaths reddish brown, to 15 mm long. Culm sheaths 
8-13 mm long, glabrous or sparsely pilose, often reflexed; lamina erect, c. 5 mm long. 
Female spikelets single and terminal on branchlets, sometimes appearing sessile at 
flowering stage but branchlets elongating by fruiting stage, ellipsoid, c. 5.0 mm long, 
1-flowered; glumes 3-6, broad-ovate, acute, 1.5-4.3 mm long, brown, abaxial surface 
glabrous or partially pilose, mucro to 0.6 mm long, the uppermost glume imbricate 
and persistent around the fruit at dehiscence forming a pubescent cone-like cap or 
coat. Female flowers lacking tepals. Nut narrow ellipsoid, c. 2.0 mm long, shed 
enclosed in the innermost glume, with a short stipe below that glume and also a very 
short stipe below the ovary. Setting seed apomictically (parthenocarpic); male plants 
not known. (Fig. 6j). 
The epithet is from the Greek dia, through or between, and kolpos, bay or gulf, referring 
to the species occurrence on both sides of the Great Australian Bight. 
Distribution: occurs in South Australia in the Eyre Peninsula and collected from the 
Ongerup district of Western Australia, c. 130 km NNE of Albany. In heath with mallee 
eucalypts on sand. 
Conservation status: endangered; conserved in part of the range but presumed extinct 
elsewhere. In South Australia very restricted in occurrence but conserved in Hinks 
National Park. In Western Australia rare if surviving, restricted in occurrence and in a 
region subject to extensive clearing of natural vegetation and salinisation; reported as 
most probably extinct in Western Australia (Meney, Pate & Hickman 1999; Meney, 
Pate, Dixon, Briggs & Johnson 1999; Pate 2000). 
Resembling D. parthenicus (Fig. 6h, 6i), especially in the parthenocarpic breeding 
system and fruit dispersed enclosed in a glume, but distinguished by the shorter 
culms (mostly less than 20 cm tall), fewer branchlets (c. 20) per culm node and female 
spikelets mostly terminating branchlets rather than sessile among the bases of the 
branchlets. Further information on morphology and anatomy of D. diacolpicus is given 
by Pate & Delfs (1999). 
Specimens examined (all 2): South Australia: Eyre Peninsula: along Verran Hill track, Hinks 
National Park, 8 Oct 1968, Wheeler 884 (AD); near Mt Verran, 9 Dec 1959, Specht 2001 (AD); Roadside 
between sec's 90 & 97, Hundred of Wanilla, 25 Nov 1968, Alcock 2567 (AD, B, CANB); 25 miles 
[40 km] NW of Port Lincoln, 10 Oct 1909, Griffith (MEL); N end of Boston Harbour, 14 km NNE of 
Port Lincoln, 12 Jan 1976, Copley 4929, (AD); Port Lincoln, 10 Oct 1909, Griffith (AD). 
Western Australia: Eyre: 10.5 km N of Ongerup, on road to Lake Pingamup, 13 Sep 1966, Briggs 
477 (NSW); 35 km SE of Ongerup, 13 Sep 1966, Briggs 493a 2 (NSW). 
