Scleranthus diander

Scleranthus diander is a small, spreading, multi-stemmed perennial herb that forms a mat or with trailing stems and up to 30 cm (12 in) wide. The leaves are pale green, crowded, linear, triangular in cross-section, 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long, 0.2–0.7 mm (0.0079–0.0276 in) wide, smooth, more or less keeled and a pointed tip 0.2–0.9 mm (0.0079–0.0354 in) long. The pale green or white flowers are mostly sessile, obscure or on a botany 0.7 mm (0.028 in) long, and borne in clusters at the end of branches or in leaf axils. The bracts are sharply tipped, cream-coloured, usually longer than the flowers, calyx more or less pointed, spreading and mostly longer than the floral tube. Flowering occurs usually from October to January and the fruit is a ribbed nutlet, 2.2–3.5 mm (0.087–0.138 in) long and 0.7–1.5 mm (0.028–0.059 in) wide.

Tufted knawel grows in woodland, grassland, pastures and dry habitats in eastern states of Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

== References ==