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Telopea 9(2): 2001 
Type: Western Australia: Governor Broome Road, c. 3 km E of Scott R. Road, Scott R. 
Plains (34°15'S 115°18'E), 2 Oct 1976, B.G. Briggs 6052 6 (holo NSW; iso K, PERTH). 
Caespitose. Culms unbranched but with clusters of 12-22 branchlets at most nodes, 
erect, terete or furrowed, glabrous to sparsely villous, minutely tuberculate, 5-30 cm 
long, 0.4—1.2 mm diam., intemodes 3-8; branchlets straight or recurved, 1-3.5 cm long, 
laterally flattened and rectangular in cross section. Basal sheaths often conspicuous, 
appressed, chestnut-brown, to 16 mm long. Culm sheaths erect, lax, oblanceolate to 
obovate, 3-9 mm long, obtuse or truncate; lamina erect, 2-3.5(^10) mm long. Male 
spikelets terminal on branchlets, borne singly or occasionally paired, narrow-ovoid, 
4-4.5 mm long, 3-4-flowered; glumes 3 or 4, ovate-lanceolate, 2.2-3.5 mm long, 
membranous, pale brown, truncate to acuminate, glabrous or ciliate toward the apex, 
mucro to 1.0 mm long. Female spikelets on branchlets much shorter in fruiting stage 
than sterile branchlets, narrow-ovoid, 3.5-6.0 mm long, 1-flowered; glumes 2 or 3, 
ovate to lanceolate, acute, 1.8-4 mm long, light brown, margins pilose, abaxial surface 
glabrous or pilose toward the apex, mucro to 2.2 mm long. Male flowers: tepals 5 or 6, 
acute, linear-lanceolate, equal in length or inner tepals shorter, 2.5-4.0 mm long; 
anthers 1.5-2.3 mm long. Female flowers lacking tepals. Nut ovoid, c. 1.5 mm long, 
dark brown with pale lateral lines, shortly stipitate, the style base persistent as a blunt 
apical beak. (Fig. 5a, 6b, 6c). 
The epithet is from the Latin castaneus, chestnut-coloured, referring to the often 
conspicuous chestnut-brown basal scales and the usually chestnut-brown culm 
sheaths. 
Allied to D. fasciculatus (Figs 5b, 6a) but distinguished by its tufted habit without an 
extended horizontal rhizome, the colour of the basal sheaths and culm sheaths, the 
lowest culm intemode less than twice as long as upper culm intemodes, and the 
sparser indumentum. 
Distribution: occurs in Western Australia in a discontinuous distribution; from near 
Badgingarra southwards to the Scott R. east of Augusta, and from the Stirling Range 
eastwards to Cape Le Grand National Park (east of Esperance). Locally abundant in 
heath and shrubland on sands, often with laterite gravel, in regions of moderate or low 
rainfall; sites seasonally moist. Unlike D. fascicularis which resprouts, D. castaneus 
regenerates by seed after fire (Meney, Pate & Hickman 1999) but seed viability declines 
rapidly with time (Meney, Dixon & Pate 1999). 
In the eastern area of occurrence most, but not all, plants are compact with culms 5-15 cm 
tall, intemodes 2.5-3 cm long and crowded branchlets 1-2 cm long (e.g. Fig. 6b). Plants 
in the western segment of the range are mostly taller with culms to 25 cm tall, 
intemodes 4-5 cm long and branchlets 2-3.5 cm long (e.g. Fig. 5a, 6c). D. castaneus was 
referred to as ‘Loxocarya sp. D' by Rye (1997), as indicated by Briggs & Johnson (1999). 
The plant illustrated in Morley & Toelken (1983, p. 371), under the name Loxocarya 
fasciculata, is D. castaneus. 
Conservation status: widespread and locally common, though unevenly distributed; 
not at risk. 
Selected specimens examined: Western Australia: Irwin: c. 13 km (direct) SSW of Badgingarra, 
Bibby Rd, c. 2 km W of Brand Hwy toward Cervantes, 6 Sep 1990, Briggs 8580a, Johnson, Meney, 
Under & Pate 6 (NSW, BOL, MEL, PERTH), 8580b 2 (NSW, BOL, MEL, PERTH). Darling 
Serpentine, Sep 1901, Fitzgerald 6 (NSW 48058); Pinjarra, 30 Sep 1901, Morrison 6 (K); 1.1 km E of 
Scott River Rd, on Governor Broome Rd, c. 16 km ENE of Augusta, 11 Sep 1990, Briggs 8673, 
Johnson, Meney, Pate & Under 6 (BOL, KPBG, PERTH), 8674 2 (KPBG, PERTH). Eyre: 2 km E of 
South Stirling, 8 Oct 1984, Briggs 7659 & Johnson 6 (NSW, AD, MEL, NBG, PERTH, RSA), 7660 2 
(NSW, A, AD, BOL, CANB, K, L, MEL, MO, NBG, PE, PERTH, RSA); 17 km NNW of Young R. 
crossing on Ravensthorpe-Esperance Rd, 27 Sep 1968, Donner 2798 6 (AD); 39 miles (c. 60 km) W 
