Flowers. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Seed heads. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Flowering plant. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Seeding plant. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Desert Bog-rush

Family

Cyperaceae

Notes

Grass-like perennial sedge to 45cm tall.  Leaves reduced to a glossy brown to blackish sheath at the base of the flower stems, or leaves basal, to 2cm long, less than 1mm wide, hairless.  Spikelets oval, 5-7mm long, creamy yellow, becoming brown, 0 petals, in a single head of 1-3 spikelets, hemispherical, oval, or top-shaped, at the ends of the flower stems, subtended by 0-3 papery bracts. Despite the common name, it grows in sandy soils.

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 pages 169-170

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Schoenus~subaphyllus