Cyperus nervulosus

Dwarf tufted annual. Culms trigonous, smooth, to 20 cm high, to 1 mm diam. Leaves not septate-nodulose, as long as culms or much shorter, to 2 mm wide. Inflorescence simple, of 2–6 branches to 6 cm long, or head-like; spikes short, broad-ovoid, to 4 cm diam.; involucral bracts leaf-like, 2–4 exceeding inflorescence. Spikelets flattened, 5–20 per spike, 5–20 mm long, 2–3 mm wide in side view, 6–54-flowered; rachilla not or scarcely winged, persistent; glumes obtuse, with excurved mucro to 0.7 mm long, with keel 3–5-nerved, sides hyaline, pale yellow- to red brown, 2–2.5 mm long (excluding mucro); stamens 2; stigmas 2. Nut biconvex, elliptic, from one-third to one-half as long as glume body, 0.5–0.8 mm long, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, grey to blackish, colliculate, patterned in fine longitudinal rows,. Flowers spring–summer.