Cyperus haspan |
Cyperus oxylepis |
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haspan flatsedge |
sharpscale flatsedge |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, shortly rhizomatous. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, coarse, (culms, leaves, bracts, and rays viscid). |
Culms | trigonous, (2–)25–60(–100) cm × 1–4 mm, soft (flattened in drying), glabrous. |
roundly trigonous, 10–50 cm × 0.9–2.4 mm. |
Leaves | usually reduced to sheaths, occasionally with blades, flat to V-shaped, (3–)10–30 cm × (1–)2.5–5 mm. |
adaxial face concave, becoming flat to trigonous apically, 10–46 cm × 1.5–4 mm, margins involute. |
Inflorescences | heads loosely digitate; rays (5–)10–12(–15), 1–15(–20) cm; 2d order rays usually present, (1–)6–12(–25) mm; 3d order rays sometimes present, 1–6 mm; bracts 2(–3), horizontal to ascending at 30–60°, longer (3–)6–18 cm × 2–4 mm, shorter (0.5–)2.5–6.5 cm × 1–2(–3) mm. |
spikes ovoid, 1–5.5 cm wide; rays usually 3–6, 0.5–5 cm, glabrous; sometimes absent in small plants; if absent, inflorescence a congested head of spikelets 1–3.5 cm diam.; 2d order rays 0–3, 1–3 cm; bracts 3–5, vertical to ascending at 45°, 2.5–25 cm × 1.2–4 mm, margins involute; 2d order bracts 0–2, 5–20 mm; rachilla persistent, wingless. |
Spikelets | 1–15, linear-lanceoloid, ± compressed-quadrangular, 3–18 × 1–1.6 mm; floral scales 10–20(–40), laterally reddish to greenish brown, dull, often clear-edged, medially greenish, laterally 1-ribbed, medially 1-ribbed, oblong to obovate, 1–1.5(–1.9) × 0.8–1 mm, apex mucronate, glabrous except for cluster of crystalline prickles at apex. |
5–24, greenish yellow to golden brown, oblong to linear-lanceoloid, quadrangular, strongly compressed, 7–20(–30) × 2.5–4(–6) mm; floral scales 10–20(–40), spreading, pale green to stramineous, laterally 2–3-ribbed, ovate-lanceolate, 3.1–4 × 1.5–2.4 mm, apex with mucro 0.2–0.8 mm. |
Flowers | stamens 3; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; styles 0.4–0.9 mm; stigmas 0.5–0.8(–1.3) mm. |
anthers 0.6–0.8 mm; styles 0.8–1.6 mm; stigmas 1–1.4 mm. |
Achenes | white or reddish brown, stipitate, globose to obovoid or ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6(–0.7) × 0.3–0.4(–0.5) mm, base nearly cuneate, stipe 0.1 × 0.1–0.2 mm, apex obtuse to acute, apiculate or entire, surfaces granular to papillose. |
light to dark brown, rarely somewhat reddish, stipitate, ellipsoid, 2–2.4 × 0.5–0.8 mm, base cuneate, stipe whitish, spongy, 0.2–0.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex acute, persistent style forming beak 0.5–1.2 mm, surfaces glabrous or finely papillose. |
Cyperus haspan |
Cyperus oxylepis |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Swales between dunes, marshes, pond shores | Ditches and disturbed places in marshes, often in saline soil |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; Asia; Africa; Australia
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AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; Mexico; South America [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Cyperus oxylepis is easily recognized by its sticky leaves, culms, and bracts (in living plants), involute leaves,and golden brown spikelets. The ovate-lanceolate floral scales and the ellipsoid, brownish achene with a persistent beak distinguish C. oxylepis from other species with deciduous floral scales. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 151. | FNA vol. 23, p. 171. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. autumnalis, C. haspan subsp. juncoides, C. haspan var. americanus, C. juncoides | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 45. (1753) | Nees ex Steudel: Syn. Pl. Glumac. 2: 25. (1855) |
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