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Drummond's sedge

fragrant flatsedge, rusty flat sedge, scented sedge

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose; rhizomes 0.5–2 cm, often absent. Herbs, annual (or short-lived perennial).
Culms

trigonous, 35–170 cm × 2–4.7 mm, scabrid on angles.

trigonous, (4–)10–50(–130) cm × (0.5–)1–4 mm.

Leaves

4–12, with readily visible cross ribs especially on abaxial surface, flat to V-shaped, 25–100 cm × 2.4–11 mm.

flanged V- or inversely W-shaped, 5–30(–60) cm × 4–12 mm.

Inflorescences

heads digitate, globose, 1–1.7 cm diam.;

rays 3–5, 1–7 cm; 2d order rays absent;

bracts 3–5, horizontal to ascending at 30°, with prominent cross ribs, V-shaped, (4–)11–35(–48) cm × 1–6.7 mm (longest 1/2 as long as culm); 2d order bracts absent.

spikes 1–5(–12), loosely to densely cylindric, ovoid, or ± pyramidal, 10–20(–40) × (8–)10–30(–35) mm;

rays (0–2)6–9(–12), 2–8(–13) cm;

if rays absent, infloresence a single dense, capitate cluster of closely imbricate spikes;

bracts (4–)5–8(–10), horizontal to ascending at 30–60°, (3–)10–25(–55) cm × 1–14 mm;

rachilla hyaline or thickened bronze, carmine, or yellowish, wings clasping achene.

Spikelets

10–40, oblong to linear-lanceoloid, 5–1.8 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

floral scales 18–42, pale grayish green, turning brownish, proximally greenish or brownish, 2-keeled, weakly to distinctly 1-ribbed, proximal 1/2 2-ribbed, ovate, 1.4–1.6 × 0.9–1.4 mm, acute (sometimes mucronulate), apically glabrous, occasionally scabridulous.

(10–)20–60(–100), linear-oblong to narrowly linear, cylindric to slightly flattened (when scale tips spreading), (5–)8–15(–38) × 0.8–1.3(–1.9) mm;

floral scales (4–)8–12–(30), medially green, laterally reddish to stramineous to shiny brown or beige, medially 2–5-ribbed, laterally 1–3-ribbed, ovate to elliptic, (2–)2.2–2.8(–3.2) × (1.2–)1.4–1.6(–1.8) mm, apex entire or emarginate with mucro to 0.3 mm.

Flowers

stamens 1–2;

anthers 0.8–1.2 mm;

styles 0.8–1 mm;

stigmas 0.6–0.8 mm.

anthers (0.2–)0.3–0.4(–0.7) mm;

styles 0.4–0.7(–1) mm;

stigmas (1–)1.5–3 mm.

Achenes

brown, slightly stipitate, oblong-ellipsoid (2.4–3.9 times longer than wide), 1–1.2 × 0.3–0.5 mm, apical beak 0.1–0.5 mm, surfaces glabrous.

brown, reddish brown, or black, stipitate, narrowly ellipsoid to oblong (rarely obovoid-oblong), (1–)1.2–1.5(–1.9) × 0.5–0.6(–0.75) mm, stipe 0.1–0.2 mm, apex acute to barely obtuse, surfaces finely papillose.

Cyperus drummondii

Cyperus odoratus

Phenology Fruiting late spring–summer. Fruiting summer–early fall.
Habitat Wet, relatively undisturbed habitats, especially flatwoods, ponds, seepage slopes, coastal prairies Emergent shorelines, disturbed, muddy places, fresh or slightly brackish marshes
Elevation 0–200 m (0–700 ft) 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; Central America; South America; West Indies
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; HI; ON; QC; Central America; South America; Asia; Africa; Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cyperus drummondii has been treated as a synonym (G. C. Tucker 1994), or a variety (G. Kükenthal 1935–1936), or a subspecies of C. virens (M. F. Denton 1978b). Recent quantitative and field studies (J. R. Carter et al. 1999) provided compelling evidence that specific status is appropriate.

Compared to Cyperus virens, C. drummondii is a taller species of less disturbed habitats and has narrower spikelets, ovate scales, and fewer inflorescence bracts. Cyperus virens and C. drummondii are readily distinguished from other Cyperus species in the United States by their sharply angled, scabrid culms and conspicuously septate leaf blades.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

As circumscribed here, Cyperus odoratus is easily identified by its cylindric to subcylindric spikelets in which the corky rachilla of the mature spikelet disarticulates at the base of each scale. The mature spikelet breaks into segments each consisting of a scale and an internode of the rachilla clasping the achene with its corky wings. Cyperus odoratus is an exceedingly variable pantropical and warm-temperate species. Numerous segregates have been named, some of which may deserve recognition when the species is studied in detail worldwide.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 23. FNA vol. 23, p. 191.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Diclidium
Sibling taxa
C. acuminatus, C. aggregatus, C. alopecuroides, C. amabilis, C. articulatus, C. bipartitus, C. cephalanthus, C. compressus, C. croceus, C. cuspidatus, C. dentatus, C. dentoniae, C. diandrus, C. difformis, C. digitatus, C. dipsaceus, C. distans, C. distinctus, 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
C. acuminatus, C. aggregatus, C. alopecuroides, C. amabilis, C. articulatus, C. bipartitus, C. cephalanthus, 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. 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. robustus, C. virens subsp. drummondii, C. virens var. drummondii, C. virens var. robustus C. acicularis, C. californicus, C. eggersii, C. engelmannii, C. ferax, C. ferax subsp. engelmannii, C. ferax subsp. speciosus, C. ferruginescens, C. haenkei, C. huarmensis, C. macrocephalus, C. michauxianus, C. odoratus var. engelmannii, C. oxycarioides, C. speciosus, C. squarrosus var. parvus, Diclidium aciculare, Diclidium odoratum, Mariscus ferax, Mariscus huarmensis, Torulinium eggersii, Torulinium ferax, Torulinium macrocephalum, Torulinium michauxianum, Torulinium odoratum
Name authority Torrey & Hooker: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 437, errata. (1836) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 46. (1753)
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