Restionaceae R.Br.

Gemma Bramley, Anna Trias-Blasi & Richard Wilford (2023). The Kew Temperate Plant Families Identification Handbook. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Poaceae: leaf blades present at the nodes, culms hollow, tepals 3 or fewer, flowers bisexual, fruit indehiscent. Juncaceae: leaves clustered at base, culms solid, tepals usually 6 in 2 whorls, flowers bisexual or unisexual, fruit capsular with many seeds. Cyperaceae: leaves clustered at the base, culms triangular, perianth often bristle-like or reduced, flowers bisexual, fruit a nutlet.

Morphology General Habit

Habit culms tufted, grouped along linear creeping rhizomes, tangled together, or bamboo-like (up to 3.5 m tall)

Morphology Culms

Culms usually solid, branched or not, usually cylindrical (may be flattened or square) and straight (may be curly), photosynthetic, often glabrous, but simple or fan-like hairs present in some Australian genera Short sterile culms often present at the nodes

Morphology Leaves

Leaves blades absent, only leaf sheaths present, usually brown, dehisce by splitting right down to the base leaving an abscission ring on the culm

Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths

Sheaths identical in male and female plants, often topped with a bristle or mucro

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences very variable, usually shortly pedicellate, flowers aggregated into spikelets, subtended by a bract

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets usually numerous, but may be reduced to a single spikelet

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers unisexual, no more than 1 cm across, perianth of 6 tepals in 2 whorls, usually chaffy, sometimes membranous or very reduced

sex Male

Male flowers with 1–3 anthers opposite inner tepals, usually exserted at anthesis, pollen copious

sex Female

Female flowers staminodes 2–3 or absent, 1–3 style branches (consistent within a species), ovary 3-locular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a 3-locular capsule or 1-locular nut

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds often with surface ornamentation.

Distribution

51 genera and 572 species. Widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, but almost all the species diversity is in the Cape Floristic Province and south-west Australia. Varying circumscriptions depending on whether Anarthriaceae, Centrolepidaceae and Lyginiaceae are included (all are included according to APG IV).

Note

Habit dioecious, rush-like plants. Culms usually solid, photosynthetic. Leaves reduced to sheaths. Flowers tiny, grouped in spikelets, wind-pollinated, 6 tepals in 2 whorls.

Description Author

Laura Jennings