Eleocharis parvula

Rhizomatous or stoloniferous perennial, with abundant small ‘comma-shaped’ tubers to c. 5 mm long. Culms terete, smooth, light green, 1-5 cm high, c. 0.5 mm diam. Leaf sheaths tubular, much shorter than culms, hyaline, oblique at orifice with the apex obtuse. Spikelet ovoid, 2–4 mm long, slightly flattened, 4–8-flowered; glumes ovate, c. 2 mm long, subacute to rounded, midrib thickened, green to straw-coloured, margins membranous, hyaline; hypogynous bristles 4–6, often of 2 lengths, shorter or subequal to nut and slightly exceeding it, minutely retrorsely-barbellate; stamens 3; anthers c. 1.2 mm long; style 3-fid. Nut obovoid to obpyriform, smooth, trigonous, straw-colored to pale brown, 0.9–1.5 mm long, 0.6–1 mm diam.; style base c. 0.2 mm long, continuous with nut apex. Flowers and fruits summer and early autumn.