Flora of North America species comparison

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Cyperus cephalanthus

buttonbush flatsedge
Habit Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous.
Culms

trigonous, 40–70(–100) cm × 2–3 mm, scabrid or hirtellate, either immediately proximal to apex or over distal 1/2 of culm.
Leaves

flat, 30–80 cm × 4–10 mm, scabrid on margins, ribs on abaxial surface.
Inflorescences

spikes ovoid, 12–20 × 13–18 mm;

rays 3–6, 4–10(–16) cm, glabrous;

bracts 3–5, ± horizontal to reflexed, 3–12(–36) cm × 0.4–3(–5) mm, scabrid like leaves;

rachilla deciduous, essentially wingless or wings inconspicuous, hyaline, 0.1(–0.2) mm wide.
Spikelets

25–50(–80), oblong, quadrangular-compressed, 5–10 × 2.5–3.5 mm;

floral scales deciduous, 4–10(–14), marginally clear, laterally brownish to clear distally, or light brown or reddish brown, blunt, laterally 3(–4)-ribbed, ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–3 × (1.2–)1.4–2 mm, often erose apically, apex acute to obtuse, entire or emarginate.
Flowers

anthers 0.4–0.6 mm;

styles 0.8–1.2 mm;

stigmas 2 mm.
Achenes

brown to reddish brown, ± stipitate, ellipsoid, 1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm, apex obtuse, scarcely to distinctly apiculate, surfaces puncticulate.

Cyperus cephalanthus
Phenology Fruiting summer.
Habitat Wet prairies
Elevation 0–50 m (0–200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
LA; OK; TX; South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The combination of spreading floral scales and scabrid culms separates this rather uncommon species from any others occurring in its range. The scarcity of Cyperus cephalanthus in the United States and its disjunct distribution suggest it might be naturalized rather than native. It was collected early in the nineteenth century in Louisiana, and the amphitropical distribution is not without parallel in the genus (cf. 12. C. eragrostis).

Cyperus cephalanthus has been treated as a variety of the widespread, polymorphic South American C. laetus (G. Kükenthal 1935–1936). Recognition of C. cephalanthus as a species follows recent American floristic practice.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 23.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus
Sibling taxa
C. acuminatus, C. aggregatus, C. alopecuroides, C. amabilis, C. articulatus, C. bipartitus, C. compressus, C. croceus, C. cuspidatus, C. dentatus, C. dentoniae, C. diandrus, C. difformis, C. digitatus, C. dipsaceus, C. distans, C. distinctus, C. drummondii, C. echinatus, C. elegans, C. entrerianus, C. eragrostis, C. erythrorhizos, C. esculentus, C. fendlerianus, C. filicinus, C. filiculmis, C. filiformis, C. flavescens, C. flavicomus, C. floribundus, C. fugax, C. fuligineus, C. fuscus, C. giganteus, C. gracilis, C. granitophilus, C. grayi, C. grayoides, C. haspan, C. hermaphroditus, C. houghtonii, C. hypopitys, C. hystricinus, C. involucratus, C. iria, C. laevigatus, C. lancastriensis, C. lanceolatus, C. lecontei, C. lentiginosus, C. ligularis, C. lupulinus, C. manimae, C. microiria, C. mutisii, C. niger, C. ochraceus, C. odoratus, C. onerosus, C. ovatus, C. owanii, C. oxylepis, C. pallidicolor, C. papyrus, C. parishii, C. pilosus, C. planifolius, C. plukenetii, C. polystachyos, C. prolifer, C. prolixus, C. pseudothyrsiflorus, C. pseudovegetus, C. pumilus, C. reflexus, C. refractus, C. retroflexus, C. retrofractus, C. retrorsus, C. rotundus, C. sanguinolentus, C. schweinitzii, C. serotinus, C. seslerioides, C. setigerus, C. spectabilis, C. sphacelatus, C. sphaerolepis, C. squarrosus, C. strigosus, C. surinamensis, C. tetragonus, C. thyrsiflorus, C. virens
Synonyms C. laetus var. cephalanthus
Name authority Torrey & Hooker: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York. 3: 431. (1836)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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