Centrolepis sp.

Description:

This plant is a species of Centrolepis, a herbaceous plant that forms in small tufts from the base, ranging in diameter from 3–20 cms. Leaves are soft and narrow, and flowers are tiny and wind-pollinated, in highly condensed inflorescences enclosed between a pair of bracts. There are two species that have been documented in this national park - (1) Centrolepis fascicularis, aka "Tufted Centrolepis".... http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bi... and (2) Centrolepis strigosa, aka "Hairy Centrolepis".... http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bi... Both are native Australian species that are endemic to this area, and belong to the family Centrolepidaceae*. The name of this national park is Girraween, which means "place of flowers".

Habitat:

Spotted in sclerophyll forest in Girraween National Park, on the saturated bank of a small dam (pics 1-4), and the sandy runoff section of a nearby track (pics 5-6). Both areas were well-shaded by surrounding trees. Sandy granite soil. This species grows in coastal swamps to alpine peat bogs, occurring where the water table is high. Here's some park info - http://www.rymich.com/girraween/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girraween_...

Notes:

This PDF has everything you could ever want to know about Centrolepis and its various species and subspecies within Australia. Excellent drawn illustrations too that provide minute details that are difficult to distinguish with the naked eye (or spectacle-wearing ones in my case) .... http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/2... *There is a discrepancy as to which family this spotting belongs to - Centrolepidaceae or Restionaceae. From what I can gather, the latter is a new subfamily classification, although there appear to be some unresolved issues. PS: Many thanks to the good people at the Queensland Plant Identification group on Facebook, for their assistance to ID this spotting.