Carex declinata Boott APNI*
Description: Rhizome short; shoots densely tufted. Culms erect, triquetrous above to subterete below, scabrous above, to 120 cm long, 2–3 mm diam.
Leaves shorter than culms; blade 3–10 mm wide; sheath pale brown; ligule truncate.
Inflorescence erect, narrow, 6–25 cm long, compound, with numerous short spikes mostly solitary at nodes or on appressed, spike-like secondary branches to 4 cm long; lowest involucral bract very short or occasionally exceeding inflorescence. Spikes sessile, ± contiguous, spreading to erect at maturity, c. 0.5 cm long; upper spikes male; lower spikes female or androgynous. Glumes acute to obtuse, occasionally shortly mucronate, whitish to pale brown; female glumes 2–2.5 mm long. Perigynia (utricles) ellipsoid to ovoid, falcate, with base truncate and thickened, few- to several-nerved, 3.5–6 mm long, 1.5–1.7 mm diam., glabrous or rarely slightly hispid near apex, greenish brown to blackish; beak 1–2 mm long, with apex 2-fid. Anthers 1.5–1.7 mm long excluding appendage to 0.1 mm long. Style 2-fid.
Nut broad-ovoid, often with truncate base, lenticular in cross section, pale yellow-brown.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: North along the coast from Bega. In rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC
Other Australian states: Qld
The leaves are often prominently septate-nodulose (especially when dried).
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (April 2014, Aug 2016) Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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