Scleria brownii Kunth

Kunth, C.S. (1837) Enumeratio Plantarum Omnium Hucusque Cognitarum 2: 349.

Plants about 20-35 cm tall with corm-like rhizomes. Stems ca. triangular with the bases cothed in purplish hairy sheaths with long hairs at mouth of sheath.

Leaves narrowly linear, blades 50-270 x 2-15 mm, V-shaped in transverse section. Sheaths narrow, wingless and without a ligule.

Flowers arranged in clusters of spikes at irregular intervals on the peduncle. Each spike ca. 5 mm long, variable in composition, sometimes consisting of a single female flower, sometimes male flowers only and sometimes a single female flower plus a number of male flowers. Glumes 2.5-3 mm long reddish brown with a green keel. Anthers ca. 2 mm long, filaments ca. 1.25 mm long. Ovary 0.75-1.5 mm long, surface rugose and hairy on 3-lobed comparatively large disk. Style and stigmas 3 with hairy lobes.

Fruits ca. 1.5 mm diam. surface not smooth, ornamented or tuberculate, seated on a 3-lobed disk. Embryo globular, less than 1 mm long. Nut trigonous with large papillae and wrinkles, white and 1-1.25 mm long. Disc persistent on fruit.

Features not available.

Occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards to south eastern Queensland. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 1260 m. Grows in rainforest, Eucalypt forest, Melaleuca swamp forest, deciduous vine thicket and in various types of woodland, heathland and wooded grassland. Also from Malesia and the Pacific Islands.