416B-5-Empodisma-minus-hab-fol-Peter-Kinchington.jpg

Empodisma minus

Spreading Rope-rush

Dense matted perennial herb with bright green curved branches spreading from slender underground stems to form a tangled mass. Male and female flowers on separate plants.

Additional information

  • FamilyRestionaceae
  • StoreyLower storey
  • Sizestems 0.5 m x 2 m
  • Plant groupingGrasses, Rushes & Sedges
  • LeavesReduced to greenish scales or sheathing bracts 3-10 mm long, woolly hairs near tip.
  • Flower colourBrown
  • Flowering timeSeptember to March
  • FlowersStalkless spikelets 4-8 mm long along stems, floral bracts slightly longer than spikelets, similar to leaf bracts; male spikelets solitary or paired, 1-many-flowered; female, solitary, one-flowered in leaf axils towards ends of stems.
  • Bird attractingNo
  • Butterfly attractingNo
  • Frog habitatYes
  • Growing conditionsMoist to wet soils in swampy heathlands, bogs and wet creek banks. Tolerates periods of drought and waterlogging. Full sun, semi shade.
  • Garden useAn interesting plant which will become a tangled groundcover in permanently moist areas.
  • Commercially availableAustralian plant & indigenous nurseries
  • Conservation statusLocally common within its preferred growing conditions
Photographer/s: Peter Kinchington ©

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