Michael Jefferies pointed this unusual flower out to me the day we went to The Aztecs. For the life of me, I can't remember what he said it was. I can't find it in any of my booklets on the park's flowers. Michael, if you see this, help! :-)
The arrangement of bracts in the flower head is used to identify Xyris species. In this case the smooth margins , disorganised arrangement and the one or two widely splayed bracts at the base.
Xyris laxifolia Mart.XYRIDACEAELocal: Setor de Manses Park Way, rea de Proteo Ambienta das Bacias do Gama e Cabea de Veado, Braslia, Brasil.Ref.: Amaral, M.C.E. et. al. Guia de Campo para Plantas Aquticas e Palustres do Estado de So Paulo. Holos, 2008.
Xyris paradisiaca Wand.XYRIDACEAELocal: Chapada dos Veadeiros, Cavalcante, Gois, Brasil.Ref.: Silva, S.R. et al. Guia de Plantas do Cerrado Utilizadas na Chapada dos Veadeiros. WWF, 2001.
Summary[edit] Description: Xyris bracteata, leaves have pale edges. Dharawal National Park, NSW Australia, January 2014. Date: 14 January 2014, 10:12. Source: Xyris bracteata leaves. Author: John Tann from Sydney, Australia. Camera location34° 14′ 22.8″ S, 150° 55′ 05.4″ EView all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap-34.239666; 150.918166.
Summary[edit] Description: Native, warm season, perennial, tufted herb 17–50 cm tall. Leaves are linear, flat, 3.5–23 cm long, 1–3.5 mm wide and often twisted; sheathing bases are 1–3 cm long and brown or reddish brown in colour. Flowerheads are ovoid or cylindrical and 5–22 mm long. Sterile bracts number 2–6 and are often keeled. Fertile bracts are brown with golden brown, apically lacerate to erose margins. Flowers have brown outer tepals and petaloid, yellow inner tepals. Flowering is from late spring to summer. Grows in damp or swampy areas, often in heath. Date: 12 September 2015, 08:13. Source: Xyris complanata plant1. Author: Harry Rose from Dungog, Australia.