Dwarf Papyrus

Description:

This weedy sedge is native to Africa and was historically used to make paper, but has made its way into Australian waterways and is an invasive plant species. It has been extensively cultivated as an ornamental pond plant in Australia and is readily sold in many nurseries as a water garden feature. My spotting had thick, dense foliage, was very spongy to walk upon and had some buoyancy like a floating raft. My boots were soaked, so the roots were definitely growing in the water. Each single stem had a massive cluster of smaller stems (awns), and each of those had seed spikes. They definitely look like tiny papyrus plants to me, and it was this feature that finally enabled me to correctly ID this spotting.

Habitat:

This spotting was at the marshy lakes edge of Lake Manchester, a freshwater reservoir west of Brisbane. It is located in Brisbane Forest Park, an area of dense native bushland and subtropical rainforest. Sunny aspect. It has now been identified as occurring in most of the rural areas within swamps, wetlands, drainage lines, water bodies and waterways in Queensland and northern NSW.

Notes:

I was photographing these Australasian Swamphens when I noticed this plant. https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/19... This spotting of Dwarf Papyrus growing alongside Common Three-Square (Schoenoplectus pungens).