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Annual or perennial herbs. Leaves linear, flattened, glabrous, tapering to the asymmetrically obtuse apex. Peduncles glabrous, hollow, terete but markedly 2-winged particularly towards the apex; spikes broadly ovoid to subspherical, later ovoid; sterile bracts 4, broadly obovate to suborbicular, pale golden brown with a subterminal narrowly ovate greyish dorsal mark; fertile bracts suborbicular to elliptic, very convex, golden brown with a dull brown to grey subapical triangular dorsal mark. Lateral sepals curved, golden brown, with an entire keel; corolla yellow. Staminodes branched, the branches bearing tufts of hairs. Ovary obovoid to ellipsoid; stigmas much-branched, forming a dense mass. Capsule ellipsoid. Seeds ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, with 12-13 longitudinal ridges joined by rather prominent cross-walls.
Smooth, soft-based annual, (10-)15-80 cm high. Leaves erect or in a fan, sheath stramineous to pink, keeled, entire, keel papillose, blade 5-30 cm, flattened, margins thin or thickened, then papillose. Scapes distally 1-3 mm wide, 2-ribbed, often flattened, ribs papillose; spikes broadly ovoid to subglobose or hemispheric, 0.4-1.5 cm, bracts thin, lustrous brown, in spiral, empty bracts few, flower bracts larger, broadly obovate to suborbicular, 45.5 mm, rounded, entire, convex, keeled at apex, there with dorsal area. Lateral sepals free, subequilateral, narrow, 4-5 mm, keel smooth; petals obovate, ca. 3 mm; staminodes bearded; anthers ca. 1 mm. Capsule ca, 3.5 mm, umbilicate, valves firm, lustrous brown, placentation parietal; seeds ovoid to ellipsoid, 0.35-0.15 mm.
Soft herbs up to c. 0.7 m tall. Leaves distichously arranged, each shoot consisting of a scape enveloped basally by 1-2 leaves and a sheath, linear, up to 240 x 5 mm, apex acute. Scapes 2-3 times as long as leaves, strongly two-edged, especially so above; sheath resembling leaf but shorter. Spikes broadly ellipsoid to spherical, up to c. 14 mm tall, many-flowered. Bracts numerous and rather regularly spirally arranged, broadly ovate, acute, convex, shiny, yellow to olive green, with a grey diamond-shaped depression below acute apex, often splitting with age. Lateral sepals short and curved, folded, with a glabrous entire keel. Perianth typical. Capsule flattened, oblong, obtuse; seeds ellipsoid, 0.3-0.5 mm, typical.
Perennial herb, hydrophyte/helophyte, 0.35-0.90 m high. Leaves up to 240 x 5 mm, distichous, linear, with acute apices. Scapes 2-3X as long as leaves, ancipitous, uniformly green. Bracts stramineous, spirally arranged, ovate, acute, yellow to olive-green, with grey diamond-shaped depression below apex, often splitting with age. Inflorescence with orange or yellow flowers, broadly ellipsoid to spherical. Sepals 3; curved; keel entire, glabrous. Petals 3, almost free to base. Flowering time July-Feb. Fruit a narrowly cylindrical capsule.
Coarse, annual herb, up to 400 mm tall. Leaves distichous, 2-8 from a small base. Scape ancipitous, uniformly green. Spikes many-flowered. Bracts stramineous. Flowers yellow.
Inflorescence pale yellowish, 1 ft. or more high
A fan of leaves reddish at the base
Herb
