Carex brunnea —Knot Sedge—CYPERACEAE
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Habitat—Grows in light-breaks in rainforest; Distribution— North along coast from Clyde Mountain, extending farther inland to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and Queensland. Description—Terrestrial sedge, rhizome short; shoots densely tufted. Local occurrences— Barrington/Gloucester Tops,
Burgess Beach,
Burgess Road,
Cape Hawke,
Cliff Road,
Knappinghat Nature Reserve,
Sea Acres National Park and
Zamia Place Reserve.
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Leaves.—Culms trigonous, smooth below, scabrous above, 25 to 80 cm long, c. 1 mm diam. Leaves shorter than or equalling culms; blade 2 to 4 mm wide. |
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Inflorescence— Spreading to drooping, 10 to 20 cm long, with 1 to 3 spikes per node; lowest involucral bract shorter than inflorescence. Spikes short—pedicellate to sessile, distant, drooping to spreading at maturity, 1 to 3 cm long; upper spikes androgynous (only short female portion); lower spikes androgynous (male shorter than female portion). Flowering.—July to September Fruit—Glumes obtuse to acute,paleto darkred—brown;femaleglumes 1.8 to 2.8 mm long. Utricles ellipsoid, numerous-nerved, 3 to 4.5 mm long, c. 1.5 mm diam., white—hispid, pale to dark red—brown; beak c. 1 mm long, with apex 2—fid or split. Style 2—fid. Nut ellipsoid to ovoid Ripe.—November to December. |