Slender herb to 30 (–45) cm tall. Flowering stem surrounded by old persistent leaf bases and scarious bract-like leaves. Leaves various; one or more scarious bract-like leaves at base, 2–4 cm long; radical leaf linear to linear-lanceolate, stem-clasping at base, to 10 cm long; stem leaves 1–3, becoming bract-like. Perianth segments clawed, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acute or mucronate, to 8 mm long, green, dull yellow or brown-purple, persistent in fruit. Stamens c. ½ length of perianth; anthers ovate-oblong with orange pollen; filaments recurving during flowering. Ovary linear to narrowly oblong-turbinate; styles cohering at first, later recurved, ±equal to stamens. Capsule c. 1.5 cm long.
Grows in sedgelands, herbfield, cushion plant communities, montane forest and heaths; often in damp areas, including boggy flats, lake margins, seepage areas in rock crevices and near water spray on cliffs.
Home