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royal flatsedge, sticky flatsedge

Gray's flatsedge, Gray's sedge

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, shortly rhizomatous, coarse, viscous. Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous.
Culms

round to roundly trigonous, 15–80 cm × 2–4 mm, glabrous.

basally cormlike, trigonous, 5–40 cm × 0.5–1.3 mm, glabrous.

Leaves

adaxial face concave, becoming trigonous apically, 15–75 cm × 1–4 mm, margins involute.

V-shaped, 5–25 cm × 1–3 mm, slightly minutely scabridulous abaxially on margins, midrib.

Inflorescences

spikes ovoid, 10–20 mm wide;

rays 3–8(–10), 0.5–12 cm; 2d order rays 0–3, 1–3 cm;

bracts 3–7, horizontal to vertical, 2.5–5.5 cm × 1–4 mm, margins involute; 2d order bracts 0–3, 1–3 cm;

rachilla persistent, wingless.

spikes loosely ± globose, 6–20 mm wide;

rays 1–8 cm;

rachis 1–4 mm;

bracts 3–8, ascending, V-shaped, 3–20 cm × 1–3 mm;

rachilla deciduous, wings hyaline, 0.6 mm wide.

Spikelets

3–20(–30), beige to greenish or reddish brown, strongly compressed, oblong-ellipsoid to oblong-lanceoloid, 3–15 × 2.5–3.5 mm;

floral scales deciduous, 6–22, laterally pale greenish white to stramineous or reddish brown, medially pale green to yellowish green, laterally 2-ribbed, medially 3–5-ribbed, broadly ovate, (2–)2.8–3.6 × 2.4–2.6 mm, apex with slightly excurved mucro 0.2–0.3 mm, apically scabrid.

3–18(–28), oblong-lanceoloid, compressed, 3–12 × 1.8–2.5 mm;

floral scales deciduous, 2–11, yellowish brown to reddish brown, laterally 3–4-ribbed, ovate, 2–2.8 × 1.6–2.2 mm, apex mucronulate.

Flowers

anthers 0.6–1.4 mm;

styles 1.2–1.5 mm;

stigmas 1–1.5(–3) mm.

anthers 0.7–1 mm;

styles 0.4–0.6 mm;

stigmas 1–2 mm.

Achenes

dark reddish brown to black, stipitate, obovoid, faces concave, flat or subtly convex, (1.4–)1.8–2 × 0.9–1 mm, base cuneate, stipe (sometimes absent) spongy, 0.1–0.2 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex truncate, apiculate, surfaces coarsely papillose.

dark brown, ± stipitate, ellipsoid, 1.5–2 × 0.7–1 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate surfaces glabrous or puncticulate.

2n

= 166.

Cyperus elegans

Cyperus grayi

Phenology Fruiting summer. Fruiting summer.
Habitat Ditches, damp pastures, pond shores, riverbanks Coastal dunes, well-drained woods, railroad yards
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; LA; NM; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DE; GA; MA; MD; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 23, p. 172. FNA vol. 23, p. 179.
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. echinatus, 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. 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 C. trachynotus C. filiculmis var. grayi, C. filiculmis var. oblitus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 45. (1753) Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 268. (1836)
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