Common name: Pale Spike-sedge
Eleocharis pallens S.T.Blake APNI* 
Description: Perennial with very short rhizome.
Culms densely tufted, terete, longitudinally ribbed, to 50 cm high, 0.5–1.0 mm diam.
Spikelet narrow-cylindrical, mostly 1–2 cm long. Glumes acute, faintly keeled, 3–3.5 mm long, often tinged red-brown. Bristles 7–10, flat, retrorsely scabrous, usually stout, shorter or longer than nut. Stamens 3; anthers 1.1–2.7 mm long. Style 3-fid or rarely 2-fid.
Nut biconvex to plano-convex, with lateral angles ± acute and ribbed, broad-ovoid or subglobose, 1.1–1.4 mm long, 0.9–1 mm diam., yellow-brown or sometimes dark brown; external cells minute; style base variable, about a third as long as and a third to three-quarters as broad as nut.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Widespread inland, extending east to Glen Innes and Armidale; probably introduced in Sydney area. All mainland States. Grows in seasonally wet situations such as floodways, usually on clayey soils.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, NT, CT, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. W.A. S.A. N.T.
The culms of this species have a unique glistening, reticulate cell-pattern (visible with a hand lens) between the longitudinal ridges.
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.
|
