Stiff-leaf sedge

Description

Cyperus vaginatus, commonly known as stiff-leaf sedge or stiff flat-sedge, is a sedge of the Cyperaceae family that is native to Australia. The rhizomatous perennial herb grass-like sedge typically grows to a height of 0.3 to 2 metres (1.0 to 6.6 ft) and has a tufted habit. It blooms between November and February producing green-brown flowers. The culms are rigid with a terete arrangement. The culms grow to around 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height and have a diameter of about 3 millimetres (0.12 in). The leaves are just sheaths. The simple or compound inflorescence has four to twelve primary branches up to a length of approximately 6 centimetres (2.4 in) but usually shorter. The spikelets are flattened with between four and fifteen in each cluster each are 5 to 18 mm (0.20 to 0.71 in) long and 2 to 2.8 mm (0.08 to 0.11 in) in width. Following flowering a grey-brown trigonous nut with an obovoid to ellipsoid shape will form. The nut is around 0.6 to 0.8 mm (0.024 to 0.031 in) in length with a diameter of about 0.5 mm (0.020 in).