Cyperus echinatus |
Cyperus acuminatus |
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globe flatsedge, teasel sedge |
pale umbrella-sedge, sharp-point flatsedge, short flatsedge, short point cyperus, taper-tip cyperus, taper-tip flat sedge |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, single-stemmed to loosely cespitose. | Herbs, annual, cespitose. |
Culms | basally cormlike, trigonous, (15–)30–100 cm × 0.5–3.5 mm, glabrous. |
roundly trigonous, (10–)20–30(–45) cm × 0.4–1.2 mm, distal 1/2 glabrous or infrequently scabridulous. |
Leaves | flat to V-shaped, 10–65 cm × 3–9 mm, adaxial surface, margins minutely scabridulous. |
2–6(–8), V-shaped or flat, 8–12(–16) cm × 1–2(–4) mm. |
Inflorescences | spikes densely globose to globose-ovoid, 8–17 mm wide; rays 3–12, 2–12 cm, scaberous adaxially especially distally; rachis 4–8 mm; bracts (3–)4–7, ascending at 30(–45)°, flat, 5–35 cm × 2–9 mm; rachilla persistent, wings 0.5–0.7 mm wide. |
heads hemispheric, 7–12(–15) mm diam.; rays 1–3(–5), 0.5–2 cm; bracts 3–6, longest erect to ascending, flat to V-shaped, (1.5–)3–12(–25) cm × 1–2.5(–3.5) mm. |
Spikelets | 50–100, oblong-lanceoloid, ± terete-quadrangular, (3.5–)4–7 × 1–1.4 mm; distal spikelet spreading or ascending; floral scales persistent, 3–5, appressed, stramineous to brownish, 4-ribbed laterally, oblong-elliptic, 3.5–4.5 × 1–1.8 mm, membranous, apex entire or emarginate with mucro to 0.3 mm. |
(15–)25–50(–75), ovoid, compressed, 4–7 × 2–3 mm; floral scales 8–20(–35), laterally yellowish, yellowish green, or light reddish brown, medially light brown or greenish brown, 2-keeled, subtly 1-ribbed, ovate-lanceolate, 1–2 × 1–1.4 mm, apex acute, mucronate, straight to excurved, glabrous or sparsely scabridulous. |
Flowers | anthers 0.4–0.8 mm; styles 0.5–0.6 mm; stigmas 1 mm. |
stamen 1; anthers 0.5 mm; styles 0.8–1.1 mm; stigmas 0.5 mm. |
Achenes | brown, ± stipitate, oblong, (1.5–)1.8–2.3 × 0.5–0.6(–0.7) mm (1/2 length of floral scales), apex obtuse, surfaces puncticulate. |
brown, stipitate, broadly ellipsoid, abruptly contracted to base, 0.8–1.1 × 0.3–0.4 mm, stipe 0.1 mm, apex acute, tapering to slender beak formed of persistent style base, surfaces papillose. |
Cyperus echinatus |
Cyperus acuminatus |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer–early fall. | Fruiting summer–fall (Jul–Oct). |
Habitat | Disturbed, sunny sites, in mesic places, well-drained soils | Wet, often sandy shores and damp, disturbed soils |
Elevation | 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; West Indies
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Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas) [Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Oreg., Pa. (introduced?), S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Utah, Va., Wash., Wyo.]
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Discussion | The records for Rhode Island and Wisconsin are according to M. L. Horvat (1941); we have not seen specimens from those states. Cyperus echinatus is usually recognized by its tight, nearly spheric spikes; it may occasionally be hard to distinguish from C. croceus and C. retrorsus. Compared to C. retrorsus, C. echinatus has larger spikelets and longer floral scales, anthers, and achenes. In contrast to C. echinatus, C. croceus has looser spikes, shorter, broader, greenish or yellowish floral scales, shorter, more ovoid achenes, and shorter anthers. Furthermore, C. echinatus is predominantly an inland species of roadsides, pastures, and other disturbed ground; C. retrorsus is primarily a coastal species and occurs in drier, sandier sites. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus acuminatus may be introduced in New Hampshire and New York. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 182. | FNA vol. 23, p. 152. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Scirpus echinatus, C. ovularis, C. ovularis var. americanus, C. ovularis var. sphaericus, C. ovularis var. wolfii, C. wolfii, Kyllinga ovularis, Mariscus ovularis | C. acuminatus var. cyrtolepis, C. cyrtolepis, C. cyrtolepis var. denticarinatus, C. rufescens var. denticarinatus |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Alph. Wood: Class-book Bot. ed. s.n.(b), 734. (1861) | Torrey & Hooker: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 435. (1836) |
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