Cyperus difformis |
Cyperus pumilus |
|
---|---|---|
Asian flatsedge, smallflower umbrella sedge, variable flatsedge |
low flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose. | Herbs, annual, cespitose. |
Culms | 1–15, trigonous, 7–30 cm × 1.2–2.5 mm, soft (flattened in pressing), glabrous. |
trigonous, 1–35 cm × 0.5–1 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | 2–7, flat, (2–)7–22 cm × 2.2–4 mm. |
flat, 5–20 cm × 1–2 mm. |
Inflorescences | heads dense, 7–17 mm diam.; when rays short, heads sessile or nearly so, then densely irregularly lobate, 12–35 mm diam.; rays 1–5, 2–32 mm; bracts 2–4, longest bract erect or nearly so, appearing as continuation of culm, other bracts horizontal to ascending, 1–22 cm × 0.5–3.5 mm, margins and keel minutely scabridulous. |
heads ± digitate, 8–26 mm diam.; rays 1–6, 0.5–5 cm; bracts 3–4, ± horizontal, flat, 3–18 cm × 1–2 mm. |
Spikelets | 30–120, greenish brown to purplish brown, oblong-ellipsoid, compressed, (2–)3–5(–6) × 0.8–1.2 mm; floral scales (6–)12–20(–30), laterally clear margins, stramineous to deep purple, medially greenish, stramineous, or purplish, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, obovate to orbiculate, 0.6–0.8 × 0.6–0.8 mm, apex mucronulate. |
6–25, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 4–15 × 1–2 mm; floral scales 8–28(–40), clear, laterally ribless, ovate, 1.4–1.6 × 0.8 mm, apex awned, awn excurved, 0.3–0.5 mm. |
Flowers | stamens 1 or 2; anthers ovoid-ellipsoid, 0.1 mm, connective not prolonged; styles 0.1 mm; stigmas 0.1–0.3 mm. |
stamens 1–2; anthers 0.2 mm; styles 0.5 mm; stigmas 0.3 mm. |
Achenes | light brown, obovoid-ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 × 0.3–0.4 mm (as long as subtending scale), base cuneate, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces finely reticulate, papillose. |
dark brown to black, sessile, obovoid, 0.6 × 0.4 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate. |
Cyperus difformis |
Cyperus pumilus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting spring–summer. |
Habitat | Disturbed, muddy soils, shallow waters | Disturbed, sandy soils |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) | 0–50 m (0–200 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AZ; CA; FL; GA; ID; KY; LA; MS; NC; NJ; NM; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; Mexico; South America; West Indies (Puerto Rico); Central America (Nicaragua, Panama); Eurasia; Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America]
|
FL; Asia; Africa (including Madagascar); Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America; West Indies (introduced)] |
Discussion | Cyperus difformis is naturalized in the New World and native to the Old World, where it ranges from southern Europe to southern Africa and eastward to Southeast Asia and Australia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus pumilus is distinctive because it is our only distigmatic Cyperus with awned floral scales. Cyperus hyalinus Vahl, a southeastern Asian and Australian species, has recently been collected in Miami-Dade County, Florida (Mears s.n., EIU, VSC). This is an aberrant species sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Queenslandiella as Q. hyalina (Vahl) F. Ballard; it differs from C. pumilus in having deciduous rachillae as well as deciduous floral scales. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 156. | FNA vol. 23, p. 163. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. lateriflorus | C. leucolepis, Juncellus leucolepis, Pycreus pumilus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Cent. Pl. II, 6. (1756) | Linnaeus: Cent. Pl. II, 6. (1756) |
Web links |