Schoenus fluitans
Hook.f.Elongated submerged aquatic or occasionally small tufted perennial. Culms erect or floating in water, flaccid, terete, striate, usually elongated and branched, several-noded, to 22 cm high, 0.4–0.8 mm diam. Leaves with blade to 15 cm long; sheath hyaline to red-brown, smooth, shining; mouth glabrous; ligule present. Inflorescence of 1–3 spikelets, 1–3 cm long; lowest involucral bract to 2 cm long. Spikelets narrow-ovate, acute, 2–4-flowered, 7–10 mm long; glumes 3–6, lowest 1 or 2 empty, long-acute, straw-coloured or red-brown, shining, with glabrous, hyaline margins; fertile glumes 5–8 mm long; hypogynous bristles absent or several, minute. Nut trigonous, ellipsoid to obovoid, prominently 3-ribbed, smooth or minutely reticulate, glabrous, ± shining, white to straw-coloured often with dark brown spots (rarely evenly red-brown), 1–2 mm long, 0.7–1 mm diam. Flowers spring–summer.
LoM, Wim, GleP, Brid, GipP, OtP, CVU, GGr, DunT, EGL, WPro. Also SA, Tas. New Zealand. Occurs in shallow freshwater lakes and water-holes and in slow-flowing streams. Scattered and rather uncommon between the SA border and far east Gippsland (e.g. Edenhope-Casterton and Portland areas, Geelong area, French Is., near Yarram and Mallacoota).
Wilson, K.L. (1994). Cyperaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 238–356. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
