Carex longebrachiata Boeckeler APNI* Synonyms: Carex longifolia R.Br. APNI*
Description: Rhizome short; shoots densely tufted. Culms erect, terete to trigonous, smooth below, scabrous above, 40–80 cm long, c. 1.3 mm diam.
Leaves exceeding culms; blade 2–4 mm wide; sheath yellow-brown; ligule retuse.
Inflorescence drooping, 40–90 cm long, usually longer than culm, with 1–8 spikes per node; lowest involucral bract shorter than inflorescence. Spikes long-pedicellate, drooping at maturity, distant, 2.5–5.5 cm long; uppermost spike usually gynaecandrous with long male portion, occasionally androgynaecandrous, rarely male; lower spikes gynaecandrous with short male portion, or female. Glumes acute to obtuse, shortly mucronate, yellow-brown to red-brown; female glumes 3.5–5.5 mm long. Perigynia (utricles) narrow-obovoid, prominently several-nerved abaxially (faint adaxially), 4.5–7 mm long, 1.5–1.8 mm diam., hispid above, pale brown; beak 1.5–2.5 mm long, with apex 2-fid or split. Anthers c. 3 mm long excluding appendage to 0.2 mm long. Style 3-fid.
Nut obovoid, trigonous in cross section, yellow-brown.
Flowering: spring–summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Coastal areas south from Lismore, extending to NT and the upper Hunter Valley. Grows on lowlying flats and margins of rainforest.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, NWS, CWS
Other Australian states: Vic.
Very similar to C. iynx and possibly not distinct, but differs especially in the terminal spike being usually gynaecandrous, in the generally more slender spikes (3-5 mm diam. at maturity versus 5-8 mm diam. in C. iynx), and the usually narrower and shorter glumes (both in absolute terms and relative to perigynium length: extending no higher than the base of the beak of the perigynium). The leaf sheaths are paler yellow-brown and have less fibrous material remaining around them than in C. iynx. Leaves are rather stiffer and loosely inverted-W in cross section in C. longebrachiata (V-shaped in C. iynx).
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Aug 2016; December 2024)
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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