Cyperus flavescens |
Cyperus strigosus |
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pale flatsedge, yellow flatsedge |
false flatsedge, false nutsedge, straw color cyperus, straw-color flatsedge, straw-colour flatsedge |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, cespitose. | Herbs, perennial (often flowering first year), rhizomatous. |
Culms | trigonous, (2–)4–30 cm × 0.4–2 mm, glabrous. |
basally swollen and cormlike, trigonous, (1–)20–40(–90) cm × 1–6 mm, glabrous or few prickles subapically. |
Leaves | 1–5, (blades often absent, base of culm with 1 reddish sheath bearing minute blade tooth 1–2 mm), (3–)10–18 cm × (0.5–)1.5–2(–2.6) mm. |
flat, (10–)20–40 cm × 1–4(–8) mm, margins and midribs glabrous or scabridulous. |
Inflorescences | spikes 1–3, ovoid or ± digitate, 10–30 × 8–26 mm; rays 1–4(–6), 0.5–3(–9) cm; bracts 2–3, approximately horizontal, 1–12 cm × 0.5–2.5 mm. |
spikes 1–4, loosely ovoid to oblong-cylindric; (6–)10–28(–50) × 10–40 mm; rays sometimes absent, usually (1–)3–6(–8), 0.5–7(–25) cm; if absent, inflorescence a congested head; 2d order rays sometimes present, 1–4(–9) cm; rachis 8–18(–25) mm; bracts (3–)5–7(–10), ascending at 30–45°, cross ribs sometimes conspicuous, (1–)10–30(–45) cm × (1–)2–4(–12) mm; rachilla ± deciduous, wings 0.4–0.5 mm wide. |
Spikelets | 1–6, compressed, oblong-lanceoloid, 5–15 × (2–)2.3–2.8 mm; floral scales (4–)8–24, closely imbricate, laterally yellow to yellowish brown, margins light brown to clear, medially green, laterally ribless, medially 2–3-ribbed, 2-keeled basally, ovate, (1.5–)1.8–2.2 × 1.8 mm, apex obtuse. |
(5–)12–50, linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 5–30 × 0.6–0.9 mm; floral scales ± deciduous, 3–11, appressed, medially green, laterally stramineous to pale brown, 3–4-ribbed laterally, (1–)3-ribbed medially, oblong-obovate, 3.2–4.5(–6) × 1–1.8 mm, apex ± acute, overlapping lower 1/4–1/2 of next scale. |
Flowers | stamens 3; anthers 0.4 mm, connectives not prolonged; styles 0.5–1 mm; stigmas 0.5–0.8 mm. |
anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; styles 1–2 mm; stigmas 3–4 mm. |
Achenes | jet black to reddish brown, slightly stipitate, obovoid, 1–1.2 × 0.8 mm, apex apiculate, surface with network of rectangular longitudinally elongate cells and transverse undulations. |
purplish brown, ± stipitate, narrowly oblong, (1.5–)1.8–2.4 × 0.5–0.6 mm, apex apiculate, acute, surfaces puncticulate. |
Cyperus flavescens |
Cyperus strigosus |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer–early fall. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Damp, often disturbed soils | Pond shores, ditches, damp, disturbed soils, sometimes weeds of gardens or croplands |
Elevation | 0–800 m (0–2600 ft) | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CA; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; ON; South America; West Indies; Eurasia; Africa
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AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; MB; ON; QC; SK
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Discussion | North American populations have been distinguished as Cyperus flavescens var. poiformis; their taxonomic separation was not supported by M. L. Corcoran’s (1941) careful study. Plants of Mexico and Central America consistently have purplish rather than yellowish floral scales and may be recognized as C. flavescens var. piceus (Liebmann) Fernald (G. C. Tucker 1983, 1994). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus strigosus is usually among the more common Cyperus species throughout its range. Small individuals flowering the first year may be difficult to distinguish from C. polystachyos, C. odoratus, C. erythrorhizos, and C. esculentus, which may be sympatric. Cyperus strigosus has trigonous achenes and three stigmas, unlike C. polystachyos; C. strigosus has flattened spikelets, unlike the subcylindric ones of C. odoratus; C. strigosus has floral scales usually 3 mm or more, unlike the smaller (1.2–1.5 mm) ones of C. erythrorhizos; C. strigosus has deciduous floral scales and a cormlike stem base with stolons, unlike C. esculentus. Cyperus strigosus appears to be closely related to the neotropical C. camphoratus Liebmann; both species have deciduous floral scales and deciduous spikelets (G. C. Tucker 1994). Plants segregated as C. stenolepis cannot be distinguished consistently from C. strigosus on any single charcter, rather they appear to be merely large individuals of C. strigosus with long floral scales and frequently septate inflorescence bracts (M. L. Horvat 1941). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 162. | FNA vol. 23, p. 184. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. flavescens var. poiformis, C. poiformis, Pycreus flavescens | C. hansenii, C. stenolepis, C. strigosus var. hansenii, C. strigosus var. stenolepis, Mariscus stenolepis, Mariscus strigosus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 46. (1753) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 47. (1753) |
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