Gahnia

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Gahnia (family Cyperaceae) A genus of coarse, tufted, erect perennials, which are rhizomatous (see RHIZOME). The plants grow in large clumps. The culms are cylindrical, and up to 1.5 m in height, with dark-brown basal leaf sheaths. The leaves and sheaths are slightly bristly, with inrolled margins. The spikelets are 2-flowered with a terminal, bisexual, and fertile flower, and a single male flower. The glumes are yellow-brown, turning darker on maturity. The nut becomes blood-red and is 3-sided. There are about 30 species, found in swampy habitats in Asia, Australia, and the Pacific.