Seed clusters. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, ACT

Plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, ACT

Plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: G Manley, ACT

Plant. Australian Plant Image Index, photo: Murray Fagg, near Tottenham, NSW

Common Name

Umbrella Sedge, Drain Flat -sedge

Family

Cyperaceae

Notes

Introduced perennial sedge to 1m tall. Leaves at the base of the plant, with a purple or red-brown sheath at the base. Leaves as long as the flowering stems or shorter, 3-8mm wide, flat, margins flat or turned down. Spikelets 5-15mm long, about 3mm wide, green to white or straw coloured, tinged yellowish or red-brown, with 0 petals, in several many flowered almost globular clusters subtended by 5-9 narrow leaf-like bracts which are often much longer than the flower head. Grows in damp places.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 159

PlantNET description with line drawings and photos:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cyperus~eragrostis