Fimbristylis variegata Gordon-gray

Perennial, erect or slightly drooping, up to 45 cm in height, densely tufted: rhizome woody, contracted, conspicuous only when tufts broken apart, or when persistent leaf sheaths wear away, up to 5 mm in diameter, of uniform thickness throughout, frequently obliquely vertical in soil, sometimes transverse, clothed by pale to reddish brown, slightly spongy leaf bases forming tunic to rhizome, eventually wearing away: leaves limited to sheaths only; sheaths closely investing flowering stems, rounded, occasionally indistinctly keeled, soft, slightly spongy, glabrous, many nerved, nerves anastomosing near mouth before passing into reduced blade, keel poorly developed, membranous portion usually wanting, occasionally limited to minute triangular area at base of sheath mouth and margin of sloping mouth; ligule short membranous margin of sheath mouth adaxial to blade; blades obsolete, up to 3 mm long, filiform, the apiculate continuation of main nerves of sheath, glabrous: flowering stems usually erect, occasionally slightly drooping, terete to slightly flattened below inflorescence, ridged and furrowed, glabrous: inflorescence up to 12 mm long, up to 11 mm broad, usually a single head of 2-9 closely packed sessile, or sub-sessile, spikelets, occasionally 2 or more spikelets pedicelled forming a reduced simple 'umbel', or heads reduced to one sessile spikelet, all possibilities represented on single plants; pedicels as flowering stems, more slender; bracts 2-3, up to 3 mm long, never exceeding inflorescence, glume-like but apiculi up to 1-5 mm long: spikelets 6.0-8.2 mm long, 2.2-3.1 mm wide, compact, compressed in lower half, otherwise cylindric, occasionally compressed throughout, narrowly ovate to elliptic, shining buff to light brown with chestnut red markings, basal glumes tardily deciduous; rachilla straight, scarcely winged, chestnut red, nuts often persisting after glumes are shed: glumes, lowest 1-2 sterile, bract-like, remainder fertile, 3.5-3.9 mm long, 2.3-2.6 mm in total width, ovate, glabrous, golden yellow to buff with chestnut red markings, margin pallid, membranous, conspicuous when dry, keel rounded, of 3 yellow to buff nerves excurrent into mucron up to 0.5 mm long in basal glumes, shorter in upper, apex acute, mucronate: stamens 3; anthers 1.6-2.2 mm long, golden brown with chestnut red markings, or chestnut red, crest linear to oblong, clearly defined, papillate; style 2.3-2.5 mm long including style base, 3-angled to slightly winged, angles ciliate in upper 2/3, glabrous below, pallid to brown, style base shortly pyramidal, approx. 0.3 mm long, 3-angled to 3-winged, bases of angles prolonged, wing-like, overlying apex of nut, branches 3, equalling or slightly exceeding style, dark brown: achene 1.1-1.3 mm long, 0.7-0.8 mm wide, trigonous, obovate, apex rounded, cream to pale brown, surface faintly transversely and longitudinally striated: outermost cells to pericarp transversely elongate, placed in vertical series.