Ripe Lomandra hystrix fruit which has turned yellow green. Photo: Anne Jones

For more information please refer to other SOWN pages on seed collecting and propagation:

SEED COLLECTING AND PROPAGATION

This page outlines broad information on seed collecting and plant propagation. For information on individual plant species, please go to the relevant Plants to Plant entry.

Collecting and processing Lomandra seed

SOWN’s most popular species for bush regeneration plantings are Lomandra. Thousands of Lomandra tubestock are needed for planting by SOWN members every year. This requires a considerable amount of seed preferably collected from locations throughout Enoggera catchment to ensure genetic diversity. SOWN Nursery propagates two types of Lomandra species in partnership with Queensland Corrective Services (QCS):

Approximately 80 per cent of seed required is Lomandra hystrix. This is because Lomandra hystrix is most suited to floodprone creek banks while the Lomandra longifolia grows well on the higher banks.

While other plant species are propagated by volunteers at the SOWN Nursery at The Gap, the Lomandra seed is mainly sown and grown on by inmates at QCS facilities. Because of the quantity of seed required it’s preferable for Lomandra collectors to collect and process their own seed. If you are not able to process seed refer to the subheading at the bottom Need help processing seed?

How to tell the two species apart

To be a Lomandra seed collector, the primary skill you need is the ability to tell the difference between the two species. The key differences between the two species are the colour and the shape of the leaves. Lomandra hystrix has yellow green leaves with a pointed tip. Lomandra longifolia has blue green leaves with a w-shaped tip. Check the photos on this page and on the plant links above.

Lomandra hystrix showing pointed leaf tip. Photo: Anne Jones

Lomandra longifolia plant showing the distinctive W-shaped leaf tip. Photo: Robert Whyte

When to collect

Summer is the best time to collect the fruit-laden spikes. By early December, many Lomandras are heavy with unripe green fruit heads. SOWN’s most experienced collectors say the best time to collect the Lomandra longifolia fruit is between Christmas and New Year. The Lomandra hystrix is best collected about two weeks later in mid January. Be aware that plants fruit at different times according to aspect and local weather conditions. If you have Lomandras in your garden or bushcare site keep your eye on them and try to pick when the fruit turns from green to yellow green.

Collecting the fruit

Lomandra fruit is clustered on spikes. When the fruit is ripe it turns from green to yellow green. It’s recommended that you wear long sleeves and leather riggers gloves when collecting. Lomandras are very spiky. It’s preferable to collect on a fine day so the fruit is fully dry. Using a pair of secateurs, snip off the whole head of fruit. It’s useful to have a bucket or cardboard box ready to collect the fruit heads. If you are collecting both species at the same time, take two containers clearly marked with the species names.

Lomandra longifolia fruit which is yellow green and ready to pick. Photo: Anne Jones

Drying the fruit

Store the fruit in a dry airy place in paper bags or cardboard boxes for a few weeks to fully dry out. If using a cardboard box, tape up the bottom to stop any seed from falling through the cracks. If you have collected a large amount, you can spread them on an old sheet and dry them in the sun. A rainproof verandah with a sunny aspect is ideal. You can dry them on the lawn but be watchful of unexpected rain events. Summer is Brisbane’s wet season. As the fruit dries, some of the small seeds will fall out naturally.

Processing the seed

Once the fruit is dry it is important to keep the seed dry when separating it from the dried fruit parts. Strip the dried fruits off the spikes wearing sturdy gloves and long sleeves. The stripping process will dislodge most of the seed. Then you need to separate the dried fruit parts from the seeds so mostly only the seed remains. You can try ‘winnowing’ the dried fruit which means using a breeze or a fan to blow the lighter husk off the slightly heavier seed. It’s also possible to put the dried fruit through a multi-layer seed sorting sieve. There is a sieve available for members to use while in the SOWN Nursery. It’s in the shed on the left hand side between the door and the propagation desk. It’s difficult to remove all the dried fruit and not a problem if some of the husks remain. You can discard the remains of the dried fruit retaining only the small brown seeds.

Labelling and delivering the seed

Before delivering to the SOWN Nursery you need to label your bulk processed seed. Most importantly the containers needs to be clearly labelled either Lomandra hystrix or Lomandra longifolia along with your name and when the seed was colleccted and processed. There are two boxes labelled Lomandra hystrix and Lomandra longifolia in the SOWN Nursery shed opposite the Propagation Desk (left hand side as you face the shed). Place your packets on the appropriate box. Once at the Nursery the seeds are colour coded yellow for Lomandra hystrix and pink for Lomandra longifolia. The nursery volunteers divide the seed into 60g packets and register each packet of seed before placing them in the SOWN seed bank. The seed is then made available to Queensland Corrective Services as required over the following 12 months.

Need help processing seed?

If you can collect the fruit but are not able to process the seed, SOWN still wants your help. Just put the fruit heads in a paper bag or envelope, and label in the way used for other seed:

Scientific name of the plant
Common name of the plant
Location where the fruit was collected
Date of collection
Name of the collector

Place your unprocessed fruit in the appropriate Lomandra box in the propagation area at the SOWN Nursery 57 Paten Road The Gap. The nursery opening hours are 9 am – 11 am Saturday and 9 am – 12 pm Wednesday.

What about other Lomandra species?

If you chance across the ripe fruit of other Lomandra species, just collect and deliver them to the SOWN Nursery propagation desk in the normal way.

Lomanda hystrix seed still with a small amount of the dried fruit. It’s not critical to remove all the dried husks. Photo: Anne Jones

Please place your Lomandra dried fruit or seeds in the appropriate box, directly opposite the Propagation Desk. Photo: Anne Jones