Common name: Zig-zag Bog-rush
Schoenus brevifolius R.Br. APNI*
Description: Perennial with short, stout rhizome.
Culms erect, rigid, deeply grooved, nodeless, 30–90 cm long, 1.0–1.8 mm diam.
Leaves with blade to 1.5 cm long; sheath dark red-brown, ± smooth, glistening to shining; mouth glabrous; ligule present. Inflorescence erect, narrow, 5–25 cm long, with spikelets loosely clustered at 4–7 nodes; lowest involucral bract to 1.5 cm long. Spikelets narrow-ovate, acute, 2–5-flowered, 8–11 mm long. Glumes 7–9, lowest 2–4 empty, narrow-ovate, acute, red-brown, dull to glistening, with ciliate or rarely glabrous margins; fertile glumes 7–10 mm long. Bristles absent or rarely 1–3 filiform bristles to twice length of nut. Stamens 3; anthers 3–4.5 mm long.
Nut trigonous, obovoid, 1–1.5 mm long, 0.5–0.7 mm diam., prominently 3-ribbed, slightly wrinkled, glabrous, dull, red-brown.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in swamps and damp heath in coastal areas, extending inland to Blue Mtns.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, CT
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas.
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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