Cyathocoma bachmannii (Kük.) C.Archer

Perennial, slenderly tufted. Rhizome hardly developed, connecting closely-placed shoots bearing adventitious roots intermingled with flattened, persistent, clearly veined, dull greyish-brown to slightly purplish, dead leaf bases spirally arranged, never becoming fibrous. Culms erect, 0.3-0.5 m high, up to 3 mm in diameter, slightly flattened, nodeless between basal leaves and inflorescence (Balkwill & Manning 423 NU, shows one culm node) hard, smooth. Leaves radical, fairly numerous, spiral, up to 3/4 culm length; sheaths poorly defined except by brown to purplish coloration, narrowing into inrolled blades up to 50 x 1-2 mm, margins finely scabrid, apices elongate, slender, almost pungent. Inflorescence a narrow, bracteated panicle of from 2-7 (occasionally more) branches from successive culm nodes, generally I branch per node, rebranching to carry narrow clusters of brown spikelets; bracts 1 per node, erect leaf-like, surpassing inflorescence length. Spikelets solitary, closely associated, 7 x 2 mm, oblong-elliptic in outline, flattened, brown. Glumes subdistichous, usually 5, proximal 2 sterile, awned, middle 2 fertile, aristate or mucronate, margins finely scabrid-ciliate, uppermost sterile, totally enclosed, membranous, prophyll-like with 2 ridges suggestive of veins. Florets 2 only, one functionally bisexual, one functionally male accompanied by rudimentary gynoecium, relative positions variable within spikelets of an inflorescence. Perianth 6 slender, bristle-shaped but soft, antrorsely scabrid outgrowths, usually not exceeding half length of mature-sized fruit plus style base, bases expanded, marginally fused to form a shallow cup enveloping fruit base, not 2-ranked. Stamens 6 arising within perianth. Style base 1/4 total fruit length excluding perianth base, persistent, triangular in outline, pubescent; style branches 3. Achene + style base lanceolate-elliptic in outline, faintly 3-ridged longitudinally, basal third gradually narrowing to form funnel-shaped portion containing embryo, 2.5-3.1 x 1.1-1.2 mm in total length and width including perigonial base, whitish to pale fawn, surface slightly transversely rugose.