Bolboschoenus maritimus old spikelets

The finger-like, papery-surfaced spikelets of Bolboschoenus maritimus, here old and brown, sometimes start off lighter coloured, a more golden brown. They are positioned in a tight-based cluster well above the ground, near the tips of the three-angled culms. There may be a few clusters, some stalked on the same culm.

The tips of the spikelets are cone-shaped, pointing outwards in different directions from the cluster, the lower parts cylindrical. The number of spikelets in an inflorescence varies, as do the number of florets in a spikelet. There are three crested stamens in a floret, or a linear style with three branches and a persistent base, the florets being either male or female.

Flowering happens from before midspring until early winter (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Pooley, 1998; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; https://pza.sanbi.org).