Gahnia grandis is a tussock-forming perennial plant found in southeastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. Originally described by botanist Jacques Labillardière as Scleria grandis in 1800, it was placed in its current genus by S. T. Blake in 1969. In Tasmania, Gahnia is the most widely seen genus, with seven native species. Six of these species are very large, erect graminoids with sharp-edged leaves resembling a razor, hence the common names cutting grass and cutty grass. Description Gahnia grandis is a perennial tussock-forming sedge growing to 1–3 × 2–3m tall. The flowering stems are stout, often sprawling before becoming erect. The sharp-edged leaves are flat, brown-sheathed, and channelling to a 2.5m long, narrow, spiral stem. The inflorescences emerge from a long, tangled stem with weeping leaves. The stems (culms) are stout, 1–3 m high and c. 2–10 mm in diameter, often sprawling for 1–2 m from their base. It is widespread throughout Tasmania. Flowers may be drooping, with spikes 50–100 cm long. They are often one-sided, with bracts much shorter on the lower than on the upper side. The flower-heads are panicle-like in shape. The flowers are in spikelets. Each spikelet is two-flowered, the upper flower being bisexual and the lower flower sterile or male. The lowest glumes, which number 8-12, are much shorter than the upper glumes, and are irregularly toothed at the brown to dark grey-brown erose (also called margin). The erose is slightly rough to the touch. The apex of the plant's upper glumes is pointed to bluntly-rounded. The cream-coloured flowers possess 4-5 stamens with 2–3 mm long anthers. The smooth, dark reddish-brown to orange-brown seeds resemble a nut, and are oblong to narrow and ovaloid in shape. They are about 3.0–4.5 mm long, and 1.2–1.9 mm in diameter. Distribution and habitat Gahnia grandis originated in southern Australia. About 40 species are found in Australia, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. The species is found particularly in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria, where it is native to areas such as the Gippsland plain, Wilsons Promontory, and Highlands-Southern Fall bioregions. Past records in Victoria show it at only two possible sites: the Gembrook-Beenak area, and the northern part of Wilsons Promontory. Gahnia is common in Tasmania, which has seven native species of the plant. These species are widespread in wet forest, and are more frequently observed after fire. They are also found in coastal areas, sometimes