Common name: Mullumbimby Couch
Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Endl. ex Hassk. APNI* Synonyms: Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb. APNI*
Description: Slender perennial with long slender rhizome.
Culms solitary, triquetrous, smooth, 5–40 cm high, 0.7–1.5 mm diam.
Leaves not septate-nodulose, shorter than culms, 1–3 mm wide. Inflorescence head-like, ovoid or subglobose, 4–10 mm long, 3–7 mm diam., rarely with 2 small subsidiary heads; involucral bracts leaf-like, 2–5 longer than inflorescence. Spikelets flattened, sometimes exceeding 100 per head, 2–4 mm long, c. 1 mm wide in side view, 1- (rarely 2-)flowered, falling as a unit. Glumes short-mucronate, with toothed or occasionally smooth midrib, sides 2- or 3-nerved, 1–4 mm long, whitish to pale brown. Stamens 1 or 2 (rarely 3). Style 2-fid.
Nut biconvex, obovate to elliptic, 1–1.5 mm long, 0.5–0.7 mm wide, yellow-brown.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: A common weed in lawns and disturbed situations; scattered on coast north from Batemans Bay, also near Bingara and Moama. Native of trop. regions.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *CT, *NWS, *CWS, *SWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *S.A. *N.T. *W.A.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Nov 2012)
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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