Gahnia filum

Gahnia filum
Gahnia filum at Cherry Lake Altona, Victoria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Cyperaceae
Genus:	Gahnia
Species:	G. filum
Binomial name
Gahnia filum (Labill.) F.Muell. [1]

Gahnia filum (Chaffy Saw-sedge) is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, endemic to Australia. It grows to between 60 and 110 cm in height.^[2]

The species occurs in coastal salt marsh in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.^{[2] [3]}

The caterpillar of the Altona Skipper butterfly uses this species for shelter during daylight hours, binding the leaves with silk. By night it feeds on the grass.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Gahnia filum". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?taxon_id=27760. 
2. ^ ^{a b} New South Wales Flora Online: Gahnia filum by K.L. Wilson, Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
3. ^ "Gahnia filum (Labill.) F.Muell.". Electronic Flora of South Australia Fact Sheet. State Herbarium of South Australia. http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/texhtml.cgi?form=speciesfacts&family=&genus=Gahnia&species=filum&iname=&submit=Search. 
4. ^ Herbison-Evans, Don; Stella Crossley. "Hesperilla flavescens". Caterpillars: especially Australian ones. http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/hesp/flave.html. Retrieved 2008-05-03. ^{[dead link]}