Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Australian. Type: NSW; isotype at CHR.

Densely tufted, stems tightly clumped and erect near the base, occ. drooping in the upper part. Rhizome stout, 5–10 mm. diam., horizontal. Flowering stems 1–2 m. × 2–3 mm., ∞, wiry or hard, ridged, not shining, blue-green, pith cobwebby, irregularly interrupted or rarely continuous; lvs 0; basal bracts dark red-purple to almost black below, closely sheathing the stem, the uppermost bract straw-coloured above, frequently up to 25 cm. long. Infl. apparently lateral, many-fld, very pale brown or cream, a dense, fan-shaped mass of fls evenly, though closely, spaced along ∞, stiff, erect branchlets which are pressed up against the very long subtending floral bract; bract overtopping infl. occ. up to 30 cm. long, Fls c. 2 mm. long, tepals white and membr. with a green central stripe, later straw-coloured and more rigid. Stamens 3, rarely 3–6. Capsule from slightly > 1.5 mm. to slightly > 2 mm. long, = or slightly > tepals, narrow, ovate-oblong, obtuse, very pale brown.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch., C.

Lowland in damp pasture and swampy ground; occ. in brackish soil.

The stiff, fan-shaped infl. of ∞, small, very pale brown or cream fls and the blue-green stems are characteristic features of this sp.