Cyperus platystylis R.Br. APNI*
Description: Tufted perennial, with very short rhizome.
Culms triquetrous, smooth or scabrous above, 15–80 cm high, 3–8 mm diam.
Leaves septate-nodulose, about as long as culms, 8–12 mm wide. Inflorescence compound or decompound, with up to 12 primary branches to 10 cm long; digitate clusters 20–30 mm diam.; involucral bracts leaf-like, 5–7 longer than inflorescence. Spikelets flattened, 3–8 per cluster, 6–15 mm long, 2–3 mm wide in side view, 10–50-flowered; rachilla not winged, persistent. Glumes obtuse, short-mucronate, with 3-nerved midrib, 2–2.5 mm long, yellow to orange-brown. Stamens 3. Style 3-fid.
Nut compressed-trigonous, ellipsoid, two-thirds as long as glume, c. 1.7 mm long, c. 1 mm diam., corky on the angles, grey-brown to blackish with straw-coloured angles.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows on floating mats in swamps; in coastal areas mostly north from Kempsey, with an early record from Hawkesbury R. and recent collections from the southern part of Sydney (near the Georges River).
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC
Other Australian states: Qld N.T.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (June 2018; May 2021) 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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