Sporadanthus traversii

Detailed description

Slender, upright to sprawling dioecious perennial, 0.6–1.8–(2 .5) m tall, forming dense somewhat flaccid rafts. Rhizome 3–10 mm diameter, horizontal, sparingly branched, covered with tightly appressed, overlapping scales; scales 3–12 × 2–12 mm, broadly ovate to ± deltoid, chartaceous, dark brown, lustrous, apex rounded and mucronate. Roots 3–4 mm diameter, 50–120 mm long, grey, with few (if any) rootlets. Culms up to 2 m long, 1–5 mm diameter, gradually tapering toward distal end, firm, flexuose, slender, terete, smooth, dark green-brown to brown, often blotched black; branched in upper ⅔, branches numerous, firm, flexuose, scrambling, terete; basal 50–65 mm of culm slightly swollen with soft, spongy, light brown tissue; base with 3–7 loosely appressed, overlapping scales; scales 8–25 × 10–12 mm, ovate to narrowly ovate, coriaceous, light brown to brown, nerves distinct, apex rounded and mucronate. Leaves along culm solitary, distant; lamina 15–30 × 6–11 mm, narrowly ovate, chartaceous, tan, brown to grey-brown, appressed to and sheathing culm, nerves distinct; margins entire to praemorse; apex rounded, mucronate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle, often with cymose branching near base, 30–150–(200) mm long, dark dull brown, upright to spreading; male and female inflorescences sparse, not crowded; flowers subtended by 2 bractlets, subtended by 1 bract; inflorescence branchlets subtended by reduced leaves. Bracts 5.5–10.0 × 2.6–3.0 mm, ovate, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, light brown, membranous, apex acuminate, margins fimbriate. Bractlets 5.2–5.8 × 1.0–1.6 mm, lanceolate, membranous, light brown to yellow-brown, apex acuminate, margins entire. Flowers pedicellate to almost sessile. Tepals 6, in 2 whorls of 3, 4.0–6.0 × 1.0–1.2 mm, lanceolate, light brown, channelled, keeled, apex strongly acuminate. Male flowers with 3 stamens; filaments 1.6–3.0 mm long, anthers 1.8–2.3 mm long, cream, pollen yellow; pistil rudimentary. Female flowers with 1 pistil; style 1.0–1.5 mm long, pale orange, papillose on upper surface; ovary 0.6–0.7 × 0.3–0.4 mm, ellipsoid, brown to light brown, glossy; staminodes 3, each 1.5–1.6 mm long. Fruit 3.0–3.5 × 1.0–1.2 mm, oblong-ellipsoid, light brown to brown, surmounted by persistent short style; indehiscent. Seed 1.2–1.5 × 0 .9–1.0 mm, oblong to broadly ovate, dark brown.