Eleocharis tetraquetra Nees APNI* 
Description: Tufted perennial with short rhizome.
Culms 4-angled, lax, 30–100 cm high, 1–1.5 mm diam.
Spikelet ellipsoid to ovoid, 10–20 mm long, 3.5–5 mm diam. Glumes acute to obtuse, faintly keeled, 3.5–5 mm long, straw-coloured tinged red-brown. Bristles 6–8, brown, flat, longer than nut, some exceeding style base, very closely and retrorsely toothed with teeth much longer than the width of bristle. Stamens 3; anthers 0.8–1.2 mm long. Style 3-fid.
Nut ± obtusely trigonous, obovoid, c. 1.5 mm long, c. 1 mm diam., shining, yellowish to brown; external cells minute, vertically oblong; style base half to three-quarters as long as nut and about three-quarters as broad as nut (and slightly broader than nut apex).
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Rare north from Coffs Harbour. Also in Queensland and Asia. Grows in swampy areas.
NSW subdivisions: NC
Other Australian states: Qld
Threatened species: NSW BCA: Endangered
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993; revised Sept 2006).
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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