Carex pumila Thunb. ex Murray APNI* 
Description: Rhizome very long; shoots loosely tufted.
Culms erect, terete to trigonous, smooth, 5–20 cm long, c. 1 mm diam.
Leaves exceeding culms, to 50 cm long; blade 2.5–6 mm wide; sheath yellow-brown; ligule rounded to truncate. Inflorescence erect, narrow, 5–10 cm long, with 4–7 spikes solitary at nodes; lowest involucral bracts exceeding inflorescence. Spikes sessile, erect at maturity; 1–4 upper spikes male, 1–4 cm long, ± contiguous; lower spikes female, ± distant, 1.5–2 cm long, more than twice the diam. of the male spikes. Glumes acute to obtuse, yellow-brown to red-brown with whitish margins near apex; female glumes 3.5–4 mm long. Perigynia (utricles) broad-ovoid, obscurely nerved, 4.5–8 mm long, 2.0–3.5 mm diam., glabrous, thick, corky, yellow-brown, occasionally tinged dark red-brown; beak c. 1 mm long, with apex 2-fid. Anthers 2.3–3 mm long excluding appendage to 0.2 mm long. Style 3-fid.
Nut ovoid, trigonous in cross section, yellow-brown.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows on coastal sand dunes.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, LHI
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. S.A.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Aug 2016; Jan 2023)
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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