Gahnia melanocarpa —Black Fruit Saw-sedge—CYPERACEAE.
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Habitat—Grows in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest Distribution—Widespread on coast, scattered on tablelands. North from Victoria into New South Wales and Queensland. Description—Tufted perennial. Culms stout, 80 to 120 cm high, 4 to 5 mm diam. Local occurrences—
Australis Resort,
Barrington/Gloucester Tops,
Bennett Head,
Black Head,
Booti Hill,
Burgess Beach,
Burgess Road,
Cape Hawke,
Cellito,
Charlotte Head,
Cliff Road,
Copeland,
Forster Cemetery,
Goldens Road Wetlands,
Karloo Street Reserve,
Knappinghat Nature Reserve,
One Mile Beach,
Pebbly Beach,
Red Head,
Sea Acres National Park,
Second Head,
Seven Mile Beach and Green Point,
Stephen Street Reserve,
Talawahl Nature Reserve,
The Sanctuary,
Tuncurry Flora Park,
Wallingat National Park and
Zamia Place Reserve
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Leaves.—Leaves flat, spreading, scabrous at least on margins, longer than inflorescence; ligule narrow, papery; sheaths dull pinkish to red–brown, dull. |
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Inflorescence— Long, narrow, erect to ascending, 30 to 45 cm long, with 7 to 10 nodes. Spikelets 1–flowered. Glumes 4 or 5, uppermost 2 glumes much shorter and broader with acute to mucronate upper margin, red–brown, glabrous, lower glumes with long–mucronate apex. Stamens 3 or 4; anthers 0.7 to 1.1 mm long excluding apical appendage 0.2 to 0.3 mm long. Style 3–fid Flowering.—Spring to Summer. |
Fruit—Nut ovoid to obovoid, obscurely trigonous, 2.5–3.5 mm long, 1.5–2.0 mm diam., isodiametrically reticulate to granulate, shining to glistening, dark brown to black. Ripe.—February to March. |
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