Elegia juncea L.

Plants clumped or mat-forming, 0.2-1.0 m high; rhizomes sparsely branched or unbranched. Culms 0.6-2.4 mm in diam. at base, unbranched, round (not compressed), solid or with small central cavity, smooth or finely rugulose; clusters of sterile branches absent. Leaf sheaths deciduous, loosely convolute, mucro minute or absent. Inflorescences oblong, spathes somewhat overlapping spikelets, often exposed. Male inflorescences with 21-500 spikelets, spathes persistent, taller than spikelets, cartilaginous. Female inflorescences with 11-50 spikelets; flowers 2.0-2.5 mm long, often > 10 flowers per node; spathes longer than spikelets, persistent. Ovary unilocular; styles 3, white and plumose, bases free. Flowering time Oct.-Feb. Fruit an indehiscent nut; elaiosome absent.