Elegia racemosa Pers.

Plants clumped, 0.4-1.0 m high; rhizomes unbranched. Culms 2-5 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. Inflorescences linear or tapering; spathes erect, overlapping and hiding spikelets. Male inflorescences with 50-500 spikelets, spathes persistent or caducous, taller than spikelets, cartilaginous. Female inflorescences with 6-100 spikelets; flowers 3-4 mm long, often < 10 flowers per node; spathes longer than spikelets. Ovary unilocular, styles 2 or 3, white, pink or red, bases on a pillar. Flowering time Dec.-Feb. Fruit an indehiscent nut; elaiosome absent.