Luzula australasica Steud. APNI* 
Description: Small perennial with coarse tufts, usually with persistent leaf remains at base.
Leaves 3.0–7.5 mm wide, stiff, flat or channelled; margins thickened, densely hairy with distinctly papillose margins (type subsp.) or sparsely hairy and not papillose (subsp. dura); apex obtuse.
Culms 10–35 cm long, 0.9–1.8 mm diam., elongating in fruit to twice the leaf-length. Inflorescence a single round or ovate head of numerous sessile clusters 1–2 cm diam. Leafy bracts 2 or 3; apex obtuse. Flowers 2.4–3.5 mm long. Tepals acute, red-brown to dark brown with broad white hyaline margins and often with hyaline apex. Anthers 1.1–1.5 mm long.
Capsule obviously shorter than tepals, yellow-brown to red-brown or occasionally very dark brown, smooth; seeds 1.1–1.5 mm long; caruncle a tenth to an eighth the length of seed.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Type subspecies is endemic to Tasmania; subsp. dura is in NSW, possibly also in Victoria.
NSW subdivisions: ST
Other Australian states: Vic.
Text by E. Edgar & K. L. Wilson (1993); edited K.L. Wilson March 2007
Taxon concept: E. Edgar (1975); M.E. Jansen (1978)
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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