- Schoenus
Key to the species of Schoenus
1Inflorescence head-like or consisting of only 1–5 spikelets in 1 or 2 small clusters2 1Inflorescence elongated, with spikelets clustered at several often distant nodes19 2Small, soft-textured leafy, tufted annuals, or small, mat-forming or decumbent perennials, or submerged aquatics; if erect, culms no more than 12 cm long; mouth of leaf-sheath and margins of glumes always glabrous3 2Erect perennials, ± rigid, shortly rhizomatous or tufted; culms mostly more than 12 cm high, if less then mouth of leaf-sheath and/or margins of glumes hairy13 3Fertile glumes 5–9 mm long4 3Fertile glumes less than 5 mm long7 4Submerged aquatic or occasionally small, tufted plant on margins of water; nut smooth or minutely reticulateSchoenus fluitans 4Dryland tufted or very shortly rhizomatous plants; nut not smooth5 5Inflorescence head-like; plants annual, forming small tufts; nut reticulate-pitted to trabeculate, glabrousSchoenus apogon 5Inflorescence of 1–3 spikelets6 6Perennial, very shortly rhizomatous, forming low, deep-rooted tussocks or mats; nut transversely wrinkled, pubescent near apexSchoenus breviculmis 7Small mat-forming or decumbent perennials11 8Hypogynous bristles absent or several, minute9 8Hypogynous bristles 5 or 6, from shorter than nut to slightly exceeding it (nut faces evenly trabeculate or reticulate)10 9Nut faces with 2 central columns of large pits and laterally smooth or minutely trabeculateSchoenus sculptus 10Anthers 1.0–3.2 mm long; nut reticulate-pitted to trabeculate; glumes red-brown to blackishSchoenus apogon 10Anthers 0.5–0.8 mm long; nut coarsely and strongly reticulate; glumes straw-coloured to dark red-brownSchoenus nanus 11Leaves much exceeding culms; culms erect, no more than 2.5 cm long; damp alpine and subalpine sitesSchoenus calyptratus 11Leaves shorter than culms; culms erect or decumbent, usually more than 3 cm long; plants of lowlands or margins of mountain streams, but never alpine12 12Anthers 0.8–1.0 mm long; hypogynous bristles 3–6, not plumose, shorter than nut; culms decumbent, leafy at nodesSchoenus maschalinus 12Anthers 1.5–1.7 mm long; hypogynous bristles 6, plumose, about as long as nut; culms erect, nodelessSchoenus nitens 13Inflorescence a single spikelet14 13Inflorescence a head-like cluster of spikelets (rarely a second smaller cluster in S. ericetorum)16 14Mouth of leaf-sheath glabrous15 15Spikelet 3–5 mm long; fertile glumes 2.7–4 mm long; hypogynous bristles plumoseSchoenus nitens 16Involucral bracts at least twice as long as inflorescence, to 8 cm longSchoenus nitens 16Involucral bracts less than twice as long as inflorescence (often shorter than it), to 2.5 cm long17 17Stamens 3; nut 1.3–1.5 mm long18 18Mouth of leaf-sheath glabrous or sparsely and minutely ciliolate; glumes 5–7,lowest 3–5 emptySchoenus imberbis 19Small, soft-textured leafy, tufted annuals, or small, mat-forming or decumbent perennials; if erect, culms no more than 10 cm long20 19Rigid, erect perennials (or S. apogon annual), shortly rhizomatous or tufted; culms mostly 10–125 cm high, if less then culms scabrous (S. moorei) or leaves very numerous and filiform (S. tesquorum)23 20Decumbent or loosely mat-forming slender perennial; nut surface faintly pitted or reticulate or smoothSchoenus maschalinus 20Erect, tufted annuals; nut surface pitted, reticulate, or trabeculate21 21Anthers 0.5–0.7 mm long; nut faces with 2 central columns of large pits, laterally smooth or trabeculateSchoenus sculptus 21Anthers 1.0–3.7 mm long; nut faces evenly reticulate-pitted or trabeculate22 22Hypogynous bristles 5 or 6, setaceous, shorter than or equalling nut; inflorescence with a head-like cluster of 6–16 spikelets at uppermost node with 1–4 smaller clusters below; glumes red-brown to blackishSchoenus apogon 22Hypogynous bristles absent or several, minute; inflorescence with 2–4 distant clusters of 1–5 spikelets; glumes straw-coloured to red-brownSchoenus latelaminatus 23Leaves obvious, leaf-blades well-developed, to 30 cm long24 23Leaves not obvious, leaf-blades to 3 cm long or reduced to small bracts on sheaths26 24Nut transversely wrinkled, hairy; culms scabrous; possibly not in Victoria, see note under genus descriptionSchoenus moorei
24Nut smooth or minutely pitted-reticulate or longitudinally striate and trabeculate, glabrous; culms smooth25 25Annual, leafy but without numerous filiform leaves at base; hypogynous bristles 5 or 6, shorter than to equalling nutSchoenus apogon 25Perennial, with numerous filiform leaves at base of plant; hypogynous bristles several minute or absentSchoenus tesquorum 26Mouth of leaf-sheath villous or woolly27 26Mouth of leaf-sheath glabrous28 27Leaf-sheaths very dark red-brown to black, minutely scabrous; glumes 7–11 per spikeletSchoenus melanostachys 27Leaf-sheaths yellow-brown to red-brown, smooth; glumes 4–6 per spikeletSchoenus racemosus 28Glumes glabrous; nut smooth to faintly reticulate, white to greySchoenus carsei 28Glumes ciliate or woolly at least near apex; nut papillose or wrinkled, red-brown29 29Glumes 7–9 per spikelet; fertile glumes 7–10 mm long; nut wrinkled; mouth of leaf-sheath with margins not overlappingSchoenus brevifolius 29Glumes 5 or 6 per spikelet; fertile glumes 5–7 mm long; nut papillose; mouth of leaf-sheath with margins overlappingSchoenus laevigatus Modified from: Wilson, K.L. (1994). Cyperaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria. Vol. 2. Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
