''Machaerina rubiginosa'', commonly known as soft twig rush, flat leaf twig rush or common twig rush, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the sedge 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 Asia and the Pacific.

Description

The robust grass-like sedge is rhizomatous and perennial, it typically grows to a height of and a width of . It blooms between August and March producing brown flowers. It has rigid, terete and biconvex culms that are smooth and

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

. The culms are in length and in diameter. The narrow and erect inflorescence has an interrupted-oblong shape in outline forming dense clusters that are around long and with a diameter of . After flowering an ellipsoid to obovoid shaped pale red-brown to bright orange coloured nut. The nut is smooth with a hispid apex with a length of and a diameter of .

Distribution and habitat

It found in swamps and on the margins of lakes and streams along coastal areas in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

, Wheatbelt, Peel,

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 ...

, Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance regions where it grows in damp silty-sandy soils. It is also found in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. The upright foliage and spreading rhizomatous habit allow the plant to form large dense swards in wet areas. It can grow in nutrient poor soils in water up to a depth of around . The plant tends to grow taller in permanently damp areas and shorter in ephemeral environments. It is suitable for use in artificial wetlands.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15550306 rubiginosa Flora of Western Australia