Ficinia Nodosa – Knobby Club-rush seeds

Reforest Australia

Cape Schanck, Victoria, Australia

$7.00

Ficinia nodosa
Common name(s): Knobby club-rush
Height, Width: 15-100 cm high and 1-2 mm diameter
Plant Type: Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Flowering Period: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

Rhizomatous rooted perennial with stems from 15-100 cm high and 1-2 mm diameter. Rhizomes are relatively stout and tough. Leaves reduced to orange-brown sheaths. Ficinia nodosa, a grass-like sedge, grows to roughly 100 cm in height, with its smooth, green-yellow stems spreading up to 200 cm in diameter. The stems themselves grow to between 15 and 100 cm in length and 1 to 2 mm in diameter. The flowers appear as brown-orange clumps just below the tip of the stems, with hemispherical spikelets of 7-20 mm in diameter sitting underneath a bract. The seedhead is often retained year-round.

Uses:

Research has shown that F. nodosa could be utilised in biofiltration systems such as constructed wetlands to remove heavy metals, phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations in storm water runoff, particularly in saline environments, where F. nodosa occurs natively. Due to the plant’s ability to grow well in salt-water conditions, along with nodosa’s ability to collect large amounts of nitrogen in its shoots, the plant makes an excellent candidate for constructed floating wetlands in native regions. If grown alongside Phragmites australis, Sarcocornia quinqueflora, and Baumea juncea, the shoots and roots of the plant could be harvested to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. F. nodosa is particularly effective for nitrogen removal due to its ability to sustain a constant level of nitrogen removal for salt concentrations below 10.4 mS cm-1.

Propagation and maintenance notes:
Low maintenance and tolerant of harsh conditions, requires little care once established. Extremely hardy and can be used as a sand-binder in some coastal locations. Tolerant of calcareous soils. Fast growing.

SEEDS: Enough for you to successfully grow between 50-100 plants. Your seeds are of the same stock we use to grow our native plants in the nursery. The success of germination varies with open-pollinated, wild-collected seeds and after 3 years of consistently growing these species in the local area, I have selected the amount of seed you need to successfully grow between 50-100 plants yourself. These seeds are collected seasonally and with sincere cultural and ecological respect. Ordering a quantity according to this scale rather than ordering individual seeds is a better representation of sustainable seed harvesting and success for the grower.

Packet of 100-200 seeds.

Larger quantities are available.

PROPAGATION NOTES:

For great results refrigerate your seeds for 1-2 weeks before sowing. This emulates an over-wintering effect that helps with germination rates.

Sow seeds in a native-specific potting mix.

A good general rule to follow is to sow seeds at a depth relative to the size of the seed.

(Eucalyptus seeds require a light dusting of soil as their seeds are usually tiny. Warrigal Greens require a 50mm to 100mm depth.)

Keep moist, water daily until germination in 2-8 weeks at a minimum of 15° Celsius.

Reduce your watering amount once germination has occurred.

Sow at any time of the year.

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