| Description : |
A perennial, acaulescent herb. Leaves linear, 4-8 cm × 2-5 mm. Scapes 5-15, flexuous, 7-30 cm long; sheath 3-6 cm long, subequal to the leaves. Inflorescence subglobose heads, c 5 mm in diameter, involucral bracts obovate, 2.0-2.7 × 1.5-2.0 mm, coriaceous; floral bracts oblanceolate, 1.5-1.7 × 0.5-0.6 mm, acuminate, blackish. Male flowers: sepals 3, 1.5-2.0 mm, apex 3-lobed, petals 3, oblong, eglandular, stamens 6, anthers black. Female flowers: sepals 3, boat like, blackish, posterior one longer than others, membranous, hairy at margins, ovary 3-loculed, style 3-cleft. Seeds narrowly ovoid, 0.5-0.6 mm, testa hexagonally reticulate, prickles 1-4 per cell. Flowering and fruiting: October-February. Ecology : Rice fields, swamps, ponds, and marshlands. Use: Little is known about its use. |