Schoenoplectiella supina - Reclining Club-Rush

Prostrate Club-Rush is an annual herb, 5-30 cm, forming clusters. Stems are 0.8-2 mm in diameter, round or distal parts obscurely triangular in cross-section, grooved, green or greyish green, smooth. Sheaths are up to 6.5 cm, 2-3, lowest short, ephemeral, bearing an occasional flower in its axil, upper longer, mouth oblique, margin widely scarious; ligule up to 0.8 mm, scarious; blades reduced to mucro or, in uppermost sheath, most often green, up to 50 mm. Inflorescence is 7-20 mm in diameter, congested to spherical group of 3-15 spikes, stalkless or occasionally one or a few spikes stalked. Lowest bract is 2-16 cm, round, tip rather blunt, smooth, other bracts seldom green and longer than their spike. Spikes are 5-12 mm, ovoid; glumes rather tightly imbricating, 2.1-2.7 mm, boat-shaped, towards tip slightly keeled, smooth, mucro about 0.3 mm, sides obscurely nerved, brown or colourless, scarious, margin smooth or minutely fringed. Prostrate Club-Rush is found in wet places, paddy fields, moist meadows along valleys, at altitudes of 600-2300 m, in Europe to Central Siberia and Himalaya, Africa, Brazil to NE Argentina. Flowering: July-September.