Cyperus iria L. APNI* 
Description: Tufted annual with reddish roots.
Culms triquetrous, smooth, 10–60 cm high, 0.5–2 mm diam.
Leaves not septate-nodulose, shorter or longer than culms. Inflorescence simple or compound, with 3–7 primary branches to 10 cm long; spikes oblong-ovoid, 2–10 cm long, to 1 cm diam.; involucral bracts leaf-like, 1–4 longer than the inflorescence. Spikelets flattened, 5–25 per spike, 3–10 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide in side view, 6–20-flowered; rachilla not winged, persistent. Glumes obtuse to retuse, shortly mucronate, with 1 or 2 nerves close to midrib, 1–1.8 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, yellow to golden brown with white margins. Stamens 2 or 3. Style 3-fid.
Nut triquetrous, ellipsoid to obovoid, nearly as long as glume, 1–1.5 mm long, 0.5–0.7 mm diam., dark brown to black.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in ephemerally wet, open, often disturbed, situations; in coastal areas north from Ballina; scattered inland south to Mt Hope.
NSW subdivisions: NC, *CC, NWP, SWP, NFWP
Other Australian states: Qld W.A. S.A. N.T.
Distinctive small but broad, yellow glumes.
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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