Eleocharis equisetina C.Presl APNI* 
Description: Tufted perennial with slender rhizomes.
Culms terete, often not much compressed when dry, transversely septate, to 1 m high, 1–3 mm diam.
Spikelet cylindrical, 2–4 cm long. Glumes obtuse, midrib distinct, upper margins very narrowly hyaline with very narrow dark red-brown band within them, 5–5.5 mm long, straw-coloured. Bristles 6 or 7, free at the base, rather slender, minutely and regularly retrorsely toothed, from about as long to twice as long as nut. Stamens 3; anthers 2–2.5 mm long. Style 3-fid.
Nut rather turgidly biconvex, with angles not ribbed, obovoid to globose, c. 2 mm long, 1.5–1.9 mm diam., pale yellow-brown; external cells minute, isodiametric, arranged in numerous vertical series; style base about half as long as and half to two-thirds as broad as nut.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Coast, north from Moruya. Also Queensland, Malesia, Asia, Madagascar. Grows in swampy areas.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC
Other Australian states: Qld
This is closely related to E. dulcis, but can be distinguished from that species by the characters given in the key.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993; revised Sept 2006, Oct 2021, Sept 2024)
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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