Common name: Common Fringe-sedge
Fimbristylis dichotoma (L.) Vahl APNI* 
Description: Tufted perennial with very short rhizome. Culms slender to rather stout, compressed, 10–75 (rarely to 100) cm high, 1–2 mm diam.
Leaves from much shorter than to equalling culms, 1.5–5 mm wide; ligule a dense fringe of short hairs or absent. Inflorescence simple to decompound, with few to numerous spikelets, solitary or clustered, on branches to 10 cm long; involucral bracts leaf-like, 1–3 much shorter to somewhat longer than inflorescence. Spikelets ovoid, terete, acute, 4–10 (rarely to 20) mm long, 2.5–3 (rarely to 5) mm diam. Glumes spiral, papery, obtuse, often mucronulate, with 3-nerved faint midrib and nerveless or obscurely few-nerved sides, 2–4.5 mm long, glabrous, orange-brown. Stamens 1–3; anthers 1.3–2 mm long. Style 2-fid, ciliate at least above.
Nut biconvex, obovoid or broad-obovoid, shortly stipitate, 0.7–1.3 mm long, 0.6–1 mm diam., smooth or sparsely verruculose, conspicuously trabeculate by 5–10 (rarely more) longitudinal ribs on either face and numerous cross-bars, glistening white to pale yellow, rarely yellow-brown, with epidermal cells transversely elliptic to oblong.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread in a variety of habitats; coast N from Bermagui, inland N from Griffith area. In a variety of open habitats, at least seasonally damp.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld W.A. S.A. N.T.
This variable species includes several forms that may be worth recognition.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (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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