Fimbristylis ferruginea (L.) Vahl

Perennial with shortly creeping, woody rhizome. Stems approximate, forming tufts, rigid, striate, compressed, smooth, greyish green, 20-80 cm by 1½-3 mm. Cauline leaves much shorter than the stems, rigid, erect, conduplicate or triquetrous, scabrid at the top, 2-10 cm by ½-1½ mm, those of the sterile shoots much longer; lower sheaths blade-less, coriaceous, shining brown to castaneous, upper ones ferrugineous-membranous in front, ciliolate at the mouth; ligule a dense fringe of short hairs. Inflorescence simple or subcompound, usually con-tracted, with (1-)5-10(-25) spikelets, 3-5 cm long. Involucral bracts 2-3, the lowest suberect, shorter to slightly longer than the inflorescence, scarious-margined at the dilated base. Primary rays com-pressed, smooth, up to 2½ cm. Spikelets solitary, ovoid to oblong-ovoid, terete, acute, densely many-flowered, dull brown, 5-20 by 3-4 mm; rachilla narrowly winged. Glumes spiral, subchartaceous, ovate to oblong, obtuse, scarcely keeled, apiculate, with green, 1-nerved keel and nerveless sides, ciliolate at the upper edge, appressed-puberulous in the apical part, rarely subglabrous, 3-4½ by 2½-3 mm. Stamens 3; anthers oblong-linear, 1-1½ mm. Style flat, slightly dilated at the base, densely ciliate, 2-3 by ¼ mm; stigmas 2, shorter than the style. Nut biconvex, strongly compressed, obovate or oblong-obovate, shortly stipitate, obsoletely umbonulate, smooth, stramineous to fuscous, 1-1¼ by ¾-1 mm; epidermal cells isodiametric or almost so.

In sunny wet localities with clayish soil, especially those subject to the influence of brackish water, rarely more inland near saline pools and mud-wells; locally often abundant; 0-100 m.

Can be grown by seedlings.