[4] F. velata was first described in 1810 by Robert Brown from a specimen he found at Port Jackson, Sydney.

[1][2] Australian and New Zealand authorities accept it as a species,[1][3] though Plants of the World online considers it to be a synonym of Fimbristylis squarrosa var.

[5] The specific epithet, velata, is a Latin participle, velatus, -a, -um, which describes some part of the plant as being "covered" or "partially concealed from view".

The compound inflorescence has many solitary spikelets on branches which are up to 5 cm long.

[4] It flowers from spring to summer and typically grows in moist places.