''Cyperus gymnocaulos'', commonly known as spiny flatsedge, is a sedge of the family
Cyperaceae
The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...
that is native to Australia.
Description
The
rhizomatous perennial grass-like sedge typically grows to a height of and has a tufted habit. It blooms between July and March producing brown flowers.
[ It normally has a short thick rhizome with smooth, trigonous and terete culms. The leaves are reduced to sheaths, except for juvenile plants.][
]
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by the botanist Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel in 1854 as part of the work ''Synopsis Plantarum Glumacearum''. Known synonyms include; ''Cyperus cruciformis'' and ''Cyperus vaginatus'' var. ''densiflorus''. The name is commonly misapplied to ''Cyperus textilis
''Cyperus textilis'' (flat sedge, basket grass, umbrella sedge, mat sedge) is a sedge in the family Cyperaceae. It is endemic to southern parts of South Africa where it grows near rivers and other water reservoirs.
''Cyperus textilis'' is used t ...
''.
Distribution
It is found in swamps and along creeks and rivers and other damp areas in all the states of mainland Australia as well as the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
.[ In Western Australia it is found in the Mid West, Wheatbelt, ]South West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and Goldfields-Esperance regions where it grows in sandy-clay soils.[
]
First Nations Uses
Used sometimes in net making.
See also
* List of Cyperus species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15532551
gymnocaulos
Plants described in 1854
Flora of Western Australia
Flora of South Australia
Flora of Queensland
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Victoria (state)
Flora of the Northern Territory