The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

globe flatsedge, teasel sedge

granite flatsedge

Habit Herbs, perennial, single-stemmed to loosely cespitose. Herbs, annual, cespitose, with roots fibrous.
Culms

basally cormlike, trigonous, (15–)30–100 cm × 0.5–3.5 mm, glabrous.

trigonous, glabrous.

Leaves

flat to V-shaped, 10–65 cm × 3–9 mm, adaxial surface, margins minutely scabridulous.

V-shaped to flat, (2–)4–11 cm × 3–4 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.

rays absent;

bracts 2–4, ± horizontal, flat, 1–6.5 cm × 2–3 mm;

rachilla persistent, wingless.

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.

10–40, compressed, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, quadrangular, 5–9 × 2–3 mm;

floral scales deciduous, 5–20, spreading, pale greenish to reddish brown, laterally (5–)7–9(–13)-ribbed, ovate, 3–4 × 1–2 mm, apex straight, excurved mucronate, or cuspidate.

Flowers

anthers 0.4–0.8 mm;

styles 0.5–0.6 mm;

stigmas 1 mm.

stamens 1–2;

filaments 1.5 mm;

anthers 0.8–1 mm, connective apex reddish yellow, less than 0.1 mm;

styles 0.8–1 mm;

stigmas 1–1.2 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 to reddish brown, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, 0.8–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm, base ± cuneate, apex truncate-obtuse, surfaces puncticulate.

Cyperus echinatus

Cyperus granitophilus

Phenology Fruiting summer–early fall. Fruiting summer.
Habitat Disturbed, sunny sites, in mesic places, well-drained soils Thin soil over outcrops of granite or sandstone of the Piedmont and inner coastal plain
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) 50–400 m (200–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; SC; TN; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 granitophilus is documented as an autotetraploid derivative of C. squarrosus (L. W. Garoni and W. H. Murdy 1964).

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

Source FNA vol. 23, p. 182. FNA vol. 23, p. 165.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus
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. drummondii, 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. 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 Scirpus echinatus, C. ovularis, C. ovularis var. americanus, C. ovularis var. sphaericus, C. ovularis var. wolfii, C. wolfii, Kyllinga ovularis, Mariscus ovularis
Name authority (Linnaeus) Alph. Wood: Class-book Bot. ed. s.n.(b), 734. (1861) McVaugh: Castanea 2: 103, figs. 4–8. (1937)
Web links