Spring Q-Z

Botanical Name: Stylidium graminifolium
Commonly Called: Narrowleaf triggerplant
Botanical Family: Stylidiaceae
Grows: This species is a perennial, caespitose, variable size herb.
Foliage: The numerous leaves are 5 to 10 and up to 30cm long by 1.5 to 2 and up to 5mm wide, arranged in a dense basal rosette and are erect to spreading, or recurved, semi-rigid and linear narrow lanceolate. They are glabrous and the edges are partially recurved, entire or occasionally minutely serrated especially toward the tip which tapers to a blunt or acute point. The bases of the leaves are expanded and scarious.
Flowers: The inflorescence is a spike-like raceme with a few or many well spaced tubular flowers. The slender erect scapes, 5 to 20 (75)cm high are 1 to 2mm diameter, usually twice as long as the leaves, and glandular hairy mostly near the base. The flower’s densely glandular hairy, 2 to 6mm long calyx has equal lobes which are shorter than the tube and they are united into two lips with two minute bracteoles between the lips. The pink, magenta or sometimes white corolla is 5 to 10mm diameter and its tube is shorter than its laterally paired, sub equal, oblong lobes. The posterior pair are slightly narrower, their underside is glandular-hairy. The tip of the reflexed labellum is acute to rounded and there are two short linear lateral appendages near its base. There are also six prominent and two smaller glandular appendages around the corolla’s throat. The gynostemium is longer than the lobes and its sessile gland fringed, dark rimmed anthers and papillose and cushion-like, sessile stigma are in the outer end.
When the flowers are ready for fertilisation, the gynostemium recurves out and down beside the corolla with the pollen laden stigma exposed. If an insect lands and enters the corolla tube to feed on the nectar secreted from some of the glands, the gynostemium senses this motion and is triggered to flip over and coat the insect with pollen. The gynostemium returns to its set position. Then, when a pollen carrying insect arrives to feed in the tube, the gynostemium is again triggered and flips over again attempting to pollinate the flower.
Flowering Season: The flowers appear during spring and summer through to mid autumn.
Fruit: The fruit is a long ovoid to oblong, 3 to 8mm long capsule and appears from mid spring to mid autumn. The light brown, ellipsoid seeds are about 1 mm long.
Habitat/distribution: This very widespread and abundant species grows in many habitats including heathlands, open-forest and woodlands from sea level to about 1000m. It is often found to have formed large swathes. Also found in NSW, Qld, SA and Vic.
Where found: Ben Lomond Plateau, Cradle Mountain/Lake St Clair, Freycinet, Hartz Mountain, Mt Field, Narawntapu, Rocky Cape and Tasman National Parks; Bluff River Gorge, Bridport Wildflower, Diprose Lagoon Nature, East Risdon State, Hawthorn Maranoa, Knocklofty West Hobart, Lake Dulverton, Luther to Stapleton Points Coastal and Orford sandstone quarry, Mt Barrow State, Orford Thumbs, Peter Murrell and Tullah Reserves; some Tangara Tracks around Acton Park and Sandford; the Tarkine and many more locations around Tasmania; Big Punch Bowl and Long Point Tasmanian Land Conservancy and other TLC Reserves.
Other notes: The long spikes of white, pink or magenta flowers on long stalks amid grassy leaves and the trigger action in each flower are distinguishing features. This action can be simulated and observed by inserting a small diameter grass stem (eg. Poa labillardierei) into the corolla tube to cause the flower to trigger the gynostemium. This species produces many seeds and given the right conditions will self propagate. Fresh seed is easily propagated and division is possible.