The genus Desmocladus (Restionaceae) and 
new species from the south of Western 
Australia and South Australia 
227 
Barbara G. Briggs and L.A.S. Johnson f 
Abstract 
Brigg s , Barbara G. and Johnson, L.A.S. (Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs Maccjuaries Road, Sydney, NSW 2000, 
Australia) 2001. The genus Desmocladus (Restionaceae) and new species from the south of Western 
Australia and South Australia. Telopea 9(2): 227-245. The name Desmocladus Nees was recently 
adopted for a genus that has been widely confused with Loxocarya R. Br. The two genera are not 
closely allied and the characters distinguishing them are summarised. In addition to the six 
previously named species of Desmocladus, there are eight new species from Western Australia here 
described (D. austrinus, D. biformis, D. castaneus, D. elongatus, D. lateriticus, D. parthenicus, 
D. quiricanus and D. semiplanus) and one that occurs in the south of both Western Australia and 
South Australia (D. diacolpicus). 
This paper is dedicated to Emeritus Professor John S. Pate, of the University of Western 
Australia, who has made notable contributions to an understanding of an extraordinarily 
wide range of plant groups and of their biology, physiology and structures. He and his 
students and associates have made great advances in knowledge of Australian Restionaceae. 
Introduction 
The first description of species now referred to Desmocladus was in 1810 when Robert 
Brown named Restio fasciculatus and R. flexuosus (Brown 1810). These species were 
transferred by Bentham (1878) to Brown's genus Loxocarya and further species related 
to them were named within Loxocarya. The confusion was widened since Bentham also 
transferred to Loxocarya a species of Hypolaena, H. pubescens (R. Br.) Nees, which had 
also originally been named imder Restio, although it had since been transferred to an 
appropriate generic placement in Hypolaena. The genus Loxocarya is, however, typified 
by L. citierea R. Br. which is genetically distinct from all these species. 
We therefore adopted (Briggs & Johnson 1998b) the name Desmocladus Nees (1846) for 
a genus typified by D. fasciculatus (R. Br.) B. G. Briggs & L.A.S. Johnson. This new 
combination for the type species was necessary since it had originally been given the 
illegitimate name D. brunonianus Nees. The name Desmocladus was used, in the 
knowledge of our proposed classification and with our encouragement, in the 
description of D. glomeratus K.W. Dixon & K.A. Meney (Meney, Pate & Dixon 1996). 
Combinations under Desmocladus were provided (Briggs & Johnson 1998b) for the 
further four species of that affinity which had been named under Loxocarya. Accounts 
of the genera of Restionaceae (Linder, Briggs & Johnson 1998; Briggs & Johnson 1999) 
should assist in resolving the long-standing confusion in the generic classification of 
these taxa. 
Information on the six previously-named species: D. asper (Nees) B.G. Briggs & L.A.S. 
Johnson, D. fasciculatus (R. Br.) B.G. Briggs & L.A.S. Johnson, D. flexuosus (R. Br.) B.G. 
Briggs & L.A.S. Johnson, D. glomeratus K.W. Dixon & K.A. Meney, D. myriocladus (Gilg) 
t Deceased 1 August 1997. 
