Gahnia tristis Nees

Stems smooth, 50-100 cm by 2-5 mm. Leaves overtopping the stem, with involute scabrous margins; sheaths long, brown. Inflorescence spike-like, rigid, narrow, oblong, 15-45 cm by 3-7 cm, dense at the top, more or less interrupted at the base, consisting of 10-20 fascicles of short to rather long (1½-3 cm, rarely up to 8 cm long) secondary panicles; primary branches 1-3 together, short, rigid, included by the sheath. Lower bracts as long as or somewhat over-topping the inflorescence, dilated at the base; sheaths pale brown. Spikelets numerous, densely crowded, shortly peduncled, oblong-lanceolate, fi-nally almost turbinate, 7-10 mm long, 1-flowered. Glumes 6-8, the lower 4-6 empty, ovate-lanceolate, ferrugineous to brown, long-acuminate, the upper 2-3 much shorter, broadly ovate, rounded at the apex, ciliolate. Stamens 3-4(-6?); filaments accrescent, finally up to 2 cm long, smooth, included by the inrolled apices of the upper sterile glumes; anthers 3-4 mm long; appendage of the connective subulate, ½-¾ mm. Nut ellipsoid, trigonous, acute, smooth, finally blackish brown to black, 4½ by 1¾-2(-2½) mm. Endocarp not grooved. Fixing-mechanism.

In dry spots near the sea, on riverbanks, also in rocky places and along trails in the mountains, up to 1200 m in the Malay Peninsula, up to 2000 m in Borneo.