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Telopea 9(2): 2001 
B.G. Briggs & L.A.S. Johnson and D. virgatus (Benth.) B.G. Briggs & L.A.S. Johnson, is 
given by Meney, Pate & Hickman (1999). In addition to these species, there are nine 
that were not collected until recently or that were confused with related species; they 
are described here. Their names were included in the conspectus of our classification 
of Australian Restionaceae (Briggs & Johnson 1999). Information on their features and 
biology, in advance of the formal naming of the new species, is also given by Meney, 
Pate & Hickman ( loc. cit.), who provide excellent illustrations. Further information on 
the anatomy, biology and conservation of the new species is presented by Pate & 
Meney (1999), Meney, Dixon & Pate (1999) and Meney, Pate, Dixon, Briggs & Johnson 
(1999). An account of all species of Desmocladus will be given in the Flora of Australia 
(Briggs, Johnson, Porter & Krauss, in preparation). 
Desmocladus and Loxocanja 
Since all the previously described species recently transferred to Desmocladus were 
formerly included in Loxocarya, it is appropriate to note that these are not closely allied 
genera. They are differentiated by a wide range of features (Table 1), despite 
superficial similarities in some species. DNA sequence data from the chloroplast gene 
rbcL, the trnL intron and the truL-truF intergenic spacer are now also available (Briggs 
et al. 2000) and confirm the lack of close relationship between them. On the basis of 
morphology and culm anatomy the Desmocladus and Loxocarya groups of genera were 
recognised (Briggs & Johnson 1998a, 1999; Linder, Briggs & Johnson 2000). The 
Desmocladus group is largely concentrated in southern Western Australia where it 
includes also Harperia, Onychosepalum, Catacolea, Kulinia and Lepidobolus, in addition to 
the eastern Australian Coleocarya. The Loxocarya group is much less clearly 
characterised and has included 15 genera in both eastern and western Australia. DNA 
data support the Desmocladus group as a robust clade, but show the Loxocarya group as 
paraphyletic in respect of the Desmocladus, Leptocarpus and Winifredia groups. 
Table 1. Morphological, chemical and anatomical characters distinguishing Desmocladus and 
Loxocarya. 
Character 
Tepals of female flowers 
Ovary 
Style 
Fruit 
Seed 
Flavonoids (Williams 
et al. 1998) 
Culm anatomy 
Inward projections of 
stomate guard cells 
Radial walls of culm 
epidermal cells 
Chlorenchyma cell layers 
Pillar cells in chlorenchyma 
Sclerenchyma ridges projecting 
into chlorenchyma over 
outer vascular bundles 
Desmocladus 
often absent, if present shed 
with fruit 
1-locular 
single 
indehiscent (nut) 
not furrowed, surface 
cells subangular 
luteolin and tricin often 
present 
present 
sinuous, outer part thickened 
1-2 
absent 
absent 
Loxocarya 
4 regularly developed, persistent 
(1—)2 locular 
mostly 2-branched 
dehiscent (capsule) 
with a longitudinal furrow, 
surface cells lobed in outline 
luteolin and tricin not recorded 
absent 
not sinuous, not thickened 
2-3 
present 
present 
