Rhynchospora corymbosa (L.) Britton APNI* 
Description: Stout shortly rhizomatous perennial.
Culms triquetrous, smooth, or scaberulous above, noded, leafy to apex, 60–120 cm high, 4–8 mm diam.
Leaves 8–20 mm wide; sheaths of cauline leaves with an obtuse contraligule opposite leaf blade. Inflorescence of 2–5 distant compound partial inflorescences, with branches to 12 cm long, 20–40 cm long; involucral bracts 10–30 cm long. Spikelets numerous, in clusters of 2–5, terete, 2- or 3-flowered, 6–8 mm long; lowest flower bisexual, upper one(s) male. Glumes 5–7, subdistichous, red-brown, glabrous, acute, short-mucronate, 5–6.5 mm long. Bristles in bisexual flower 6, exceeding nut, unequal, the longest 4.5–5 mm, in male flower 1–3, shorter. Stamens 3; anthers 2–2.5 mm long. Style shortly 2-fid. Style base long-conical, compressed, about as broad as nut, conspicuously grooved on both sides, glabrous or hispidulous, 3.5–5 mm long.
Nut obovoid or ellipsoid, dorsiventrally compressed, 2.5–3.5 mm long, c. 2 mm wide, irregularly transversely wrinkled, punctulate towards margins, red-brown.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Coast south to Brunswick Heads. Grows in coastal swamps.
NSW subdivisions: NC
Other Australian states: Qld
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
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