Cyperus haspan |
Cyperus pumilus |
|
---|---|---|
haspan flatsedge |
low flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, shortly rhizomatous. | Herbs, annual, cespitose. |
Culms | trigonous, (2–)25–60(–100) cm × 1–4 mm, soft (flattened in drying), glabrous. |
trigonous, 1–35 cm × 0.5–1 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | usually reduced to sheaths, occasionally with blades, flat to V-shaped, (3–)10–30 cm × (1–)2.5–5 mm. |
flat, 5–20 cm × 1–2 mm. |
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. |
heads ± digitate, 8–26 mm diam.; rays 1–6, 0.5–5 cm; bracts 3–4, ± horizontal, flat, 3–18 cm × 1–2 mm. |
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. |
6–25, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 4–15 × 1–2 mm; floral scales 8–28(–40), clear, laterally ribless, ovate, 1.4–1.6 × 0.8 mm, apex awned, awn excurved, 0.3–0.5 mm. |
Flowers | stamens 3; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; styles 0.4–0.9 mm; stigmas 0.5–0.8(–1.3) mm. |
stamens 1–2; anthers 0.2 mm; styles 0.5 mm; stigmas 0.3 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. |
dark brown to black, sessile, obovoid, 0.6 × 0.4 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate. |
Cyperus haspan |
Cyperus pumilus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting spring–summer. |
Habitat | Swales between dunes, marshes, pond shores | Disturbed, sandy soils |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–50 m (0–200 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; Asia; Africa; Australia
|
FL; Asia; Africa (including Madagascar); Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America; West Indies (introduced)] |
Discussion | Cyperus pumilus is distinctive because it is our only distigmatic Cyperus with awned floral scales. Cyperus hyalinus Vahl, a southeastern Asian and Australian species, has recently been collected in Miami-Dade County, Florida (Mears s.n., EIU, VSC). This is an aberrant species sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Queenslandiella as Q. hyalina (Vahl) F. Ballard; it differs from C. pumilus in having deciduous rachillae as well as deciduous floral scales. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 151. | FNA vol. 23, p. 163. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. autumnalis, C. haspan subsp. juncoides, C. haspan var. americanus, C. juncoides | C. leucolepis, Juncellus leucolepis, Pycreus pumilus |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 45. (1753) | Linnaeus: Cent. Pl. II, 6. (1756) |
Web links |