Cyperus filipes Benth. APNI*
Description: Tufted perennial, with very short thick rhizome.
Culms trigonous to terete, to 110 cm high, 2–3.5 mm diam.
Leaves mostly reduced to sheaths, only the upper 1 or 2 producing a short blade. Inflorescence compound with 7–10 primary branches to 25 cm long, filiform; digitate clusters to 20 mm diam.; involucral bracts leaf-like, mostly 7–9 about as long as the inflorescence. Spikelets flattened, 1–4 per cluster, 5–15 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide in side view, 10–50-flowered; rachilla not winged, persistent. Glumes obtuse, with sides irregularly but thickly 3–5-nerved, 1–1.3 mm long (4 or more at the base usually smaller and empty), yellow-brown, often red-dotted, to dark red-brown. Stamens 3. Style 3-fid.
Nut trigonous, ellipsoid, as long as glume or much longer, 1.5–1.7 mm long, 0.5–0.8 mm diam., pale yellow.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in rainforest, often at higher altitudes, also fairly common on alluvium; north from Kempsey.
NSW subdivisions: NC, NT
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by K. L. Wilson 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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