Cyperus difformis |
Cyperus sanguinolentus |
|
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Asian flatsedge, smallflower umbrella sedge, variable flatsedge |
purpleglume flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose. | Herbs, perennial; rhizomes ± horizontal, to 12 cm × 0.8–1.2 mm. |
Culms | 1–15, trigonous, 7–30 cm × 1.2–2.5 mm, soft (flattened in pressing), glabrous. |
± terete to roundly trigonous, 3–25(–60) cm × 0.3–2 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | 2–7, flat, (2–)7–22 cm × 2.2–4 mm. |
1–3, V-shaped, 1–8(–15) 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. |
spike 1, loosely ovoid, 7–14 × 8–20 mm; rays (0–)1–4, to 2(–3) cm; bracts 2–4, horizontal to ascending at 30(–45)°, V-shaped to flat, 1–8(–18) cm × 0.5–1.5(–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. |
3–5(–14), oblong to linear-lanceoloid, 8–18 × 2–2.6(–3) mm; floral scales (6–)10–26(–32), laterally clear to light brown, sometimes with purplish margins, medially light brown, 2-keeled, laterally ribless, medially 2–3-ribbed, oblong to ovate, 1.9–2.2(–2.7) × 1.8–2.3 mm, apex obtuse. |
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 3; anthers ellipsoid, 0.3–0.6 mm, connective not prolonged; styles 0.6–1 mm; stigmas 1–1.5 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. |
brown, ± stipitate, obovoid to ovoid, 1–1.4 × 0.6–0.8 mm, apex truncate, apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate. |
Cyperus difformis |
Cyperus sanguinolentus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting late summer–fall. |
Habitat | Disturbed, muddy soils, shallow waters | Emergent shorelines, ditches |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) | 20 m (100 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]
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AL; GA; LA; MS; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America] |
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 sanguinolentus is the only rhizomatous, distigmatic Cyperus in the eastern United States. An early collection from Louisiana was described as C. louisianensis, supposedly endemic. Recent field work and morphometric studies convincingly showed it to be an introduction of the Asian C. sanguinolentus) (J. R. Carter and C. T. Bryson 2001. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 156. | FNA vol. 23, p. 161. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. lateriflorus | C. louisianensis, Pycreus sanguinolentus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Cent. Pl. II, 6. (1756) | Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 351. (1805) |
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