Common name: Umbrella Sedge, False Papyrus
Cyperus involucratus Rottb. APNI* Description: Robust perennial with creeping, tough rhizome. Culms terete, smooth, to 1.2 m high, 1.5–7 mm diam.
Leaves reduced to sheaths with usually small mucro at apex.
Inflorescence compound to decompound, 5–25 cm diam., with numerous primary branches; digitate clusters 20–60 mm diam.; involucral bracts leaf-like, to 35 cm long, numerous longer than inflorescence. Spikelets flattened, 3–20 per cluster, 2–10 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, 15–30-flowered. Glumes acute or shortly mucronate, 1–2 mm long, straw-coloured to golden or red-brown. Stamens 3. Style 3-fid.
Nut trigonous, more or less narrow-ellipsoid, 0.8–0.9 mm long, 0.4–0.5 mm diam., yellowish to pale brown.
Flowering: spring to autumn
Distribution and occurrence: Commonly cultivated; occasional garden escape or naturalised, and potentially a problem on stream margins. Native of southern Africa. Prefers wet, sunny habitats.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *SC, *LHI
Text by KL Wilson (Aug 2009); edited KL Wilson (July 2015)
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW vol. 4 (1993); Haines & Lye (1983)
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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