Gahnia melanocarpa

Tufted perennial. Culms stout, 80–120 cm high, 4–5 mm diam. Leaf-blades flat, spreading, scabrous at least on margins, longer than inflorescence; ligules narrow, chartaceous; sheaths dull pinkish to red-brown. Inflorescence narrow, erect to ascending, 30–45 cm long, with 7–10 nodes. Spikelets 1-flowered. Glumes 4–5, the uppermost 2 much shorter and broader than lower, and acute to mucronate, red-brown, glabrous, lower glumes with long-mucronate apex; stamens 3 or 4; anthers 0.7–2.3 mm long excluding apical appendage 0.2–0.3 mm long. Nut ovoid to obovoid, obscurely trigonous, reticulate to granulate, shining to glistening, 2.5–3.5 mm long, 1.5–2.0 mm diam., dark brown to black. Flowers spring–summer.