Actinoscirpus grossus (L. fil.) Goetgh. & D. A. Simpson

Stoloniferous perennial, to c. 2 m. Stem sharply trigonous, edges scabrous, sides concave. Leaves c. half of stem length; sheaths 14-20 cm, soft, yellowish green, disintegrating into fibres; blades 60-100 cm x 5-27 mm, flat, greyish green, keeled, margins slightly revolute, scabrous. Anthelodium, c. 12 x 10 cm; bracts to 60 x 1.5 cm; primary branches more than 10, up to 60 mm, two from each basal tubular prophyll, tubular prophylls to 12 mm, with spongy basal part, scabrous; secondary anthelodia up to 65 mm, secondary branches up to 35 mm, two from each tubular prophyll, tubular prophylls c. 5 mm; tertiary anthelodia to c. 30 mm, tertiary branches each ending with solitary spike or with additional peduncled spike (occasionally even small quaternary anthelodium is produced), peduncles to 5-12 mm, bracts c. 4 mm, tubular prophyll c. 3 mm; spikes 3-7 x 2-4 mm, ovoid; glumes 2.4-2.7 mm, cymbiform, barbed, apex rounded, with short mucro, sides nerveless, brown, margin narrowly fringed. Perianth bristles slightly longer than fruit; stamens 3, anther c. 1.5 mm. Nut 1.5-1.6 x 1.1-1.2 mm, widely obovoid, apiculate, finely papillose, glossy, pale brown or brown.

Distribution: Pakistan, India, S. China, SE Asia, Malaysia, tropical Australia.

Fl. Per.: July.

In shallow water in plains.

Scirpus grossus L. fil., Suppl. Pl.: 104. 1781; C. B. Clarke in Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 6: 659. 1893; R. R. Stewart, Ann. Cat. Vasc. Pl. W. Pak. Kashm. 101. 1972. Hymenochaeta grossa (L. fil.) Nees in Arn. in Edinb. New Philos. Journal 17(34): 264. 1834. Schoenoplectus grossus (L. fil.) Palla in Kneucker, Allg. Bot. Zeitschr. 17, Beil.: 3. 1911. Koyama, in Dassanayake & Fosberg (Eds.), Fl. of Ceylon, 5: fig. 6. 1985.