Nuytsia 9(1): 91-94 (1993) 91 A new species of Restionaceae from south-western Western Australia K.W. Dixon 1 , K.A. Meney' and J.S. Pate 2 'Kings Park and Botanic Garden, West Perth, Western Australia 6005 2 Botany Department, University of Western Australia, Ncdlands, Western Australia 6009 Abstract Dixon, K.W., Meney, K.A, and Pate, J.S. A new species of Restionaceae from south-western Western Australia. Nuytsia 9(1): 91-94 (1993). Restio isomorphus is a new species of Australian Restionaceae from a restricted area in the south-west of Western Australia. Rhizome morphology and ecological factors likely to influence the conservation status of this species are discussed. Introduction Western Australia contains approximately 1 1 0 species of Restionaceae representing over three- quarters of the known Australasian species. However, since the publication of Carlquist (1976) and more recently, Briggs et al. (1990), there has been no published description of new taxa in Western Australia pending resolution ofthe generic classification of the Australian Restionaceae by Dr B.G. Briggs and Dr L.A.S. Johnson. This paper describes one of a suite of species collected as part of a broad-based botanical and ecological survey of the family in Western Australia (Meney & Dixon 1988, Meney, Pate & Dixon 1990a, Meney, Pate & Dixon 1990b, Pate, Meney & Dixon 1991). Most of the new taxa are geographically restricted, are limited to a few individuals in vulnerable habitats and/or are fire- sensitive. Thus special management considerations will be necessary to ensure the long-term survival ofthespecies. Restio isomorphus K.W. Dixon and K.A. Meney, sp. nov. (Figure 1) Planta dioica spicis maribus femineisque similibus, rhizomate breviter repente, tomentoso, culmis erectis, viridibus, sparsim ramosis; culmorum vaginae ad basim purpurescentes, lateralibus marginibus expansis. Typus: South-western Western Australia, South-west Botanical Province, Scott River along Governor Broome Road and Dennis Road (115° 17' E, 34° 15' S), December 1988, Meney & Dixon (KM 110, female plant) (holotype: PERTH; isotype: K, SYD). Growing in shallow sandy soils over lateritic ironstone often with a perched water-table during winter and spring. Habit. Plants tufting to shortly creeping, 45 cm in diameter, roughly circular.