Baumea

{{Short description|Genus of grass-like plants}}

{{automatic taxobox

| image = Baumea rubiginosa garden show.JPG

| image_caption = Baumea rubiginosa in cultivation

| taxon = Baumea

| authority = Gaudich.{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?13593 |title=Baumea information from NPGS/GRIN |author=GRIN |author-link=Germplasm Resources Information Network |quote=Sometimes included in: Machaerina Vahl ... Comment: not homonym of Baumia Engl. & Gilg. |work=Taxonomy for Plants |publisher=USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program |location=National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland |date=August 30, 1999 |accessdate=January 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606014210/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?13593 |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text

}}

Baumea is a genus of the sedge family, which includes around 30 species native to Madagascar and the Pacific Islands, with 15 species in Australia. All are perennial rhizomatous herbs, with leaves and stems very similar in appearance. The inflorescence is terminal, with the flowers tightly clustered or loosely arranged. The fruits are small nuts.{{cite book |author=Lord, Tony |year=2003 |title=Flora : The Gardener's Bible : More than 20,000 garden plants from around the world |location=London |publisher=Cassell |isbn=0-304-36435-5}}

It is closely related to the genus Machaerina,{{citation | title = Palynological diversity and major evolutionary trends in Cyperaceae | journal = Plant Systematics and Evolution | issn = 1615-6110 | volume = 277 | issue = 1–2 | date = January 2009 | doi = 10.1007/s00606-008-0111-2 | pages = 117–142 | last1 = Nagels | first1 = Anne | last2 = Muasya | first2 = A. Muthama | last3 = Huysmans | first3 = Suzy | last4 = Vrijdaghs | first4 = Alex | last5 = Smets | first5 = Erik | last6 = Vinckier | first6 = Stefan | s2cid = 1464539 }} and is sometimes included in that genus.