Cyperus involucratus |
Cyperus sphacelatus |
|
---|---|---|
umbrella flatsedge, umbrella-plant |
roadside flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. | Herbs, annual or perennial, cespitose. |
Culms | trigonous, 30–150 cm × 1–5(–8) mm. |
trigonous, 15–60 cm × 1–3 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | bladeless. |
2–6, flat to V-shaped, 6–30(–40) cm × 2–4 mm. |
Inflorescences | heads digitate, 15–30(–36) mm diam.; rays (14–)20–22, (2–)5–12(–20) cm; 2d order rays 0.3–3(–4) cm; 3d order rays sometimes present, 0.3–2.5 cm; bracts (4–)18–22, ± horizontal, flat, 15–27 cm × (1.5–)8–12 mm. |
spikes broadly ellipsoid, 5–45 × 10–30(–45) mm; rays (2–)5–9, (0.3–)3–10 cm; rachis 4–17 mm; bracts 5–6, horizontal to ascending, V-shaped, 1.5–30 cm × 0.5–4 mm; rachilla persistent, wings hyaline, 0.4–0.5 mm wide. |
Spikelets | 8–20, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 5–25 × 1.5–2 mm; floral scales 8–28, laterally whitish or light brown, ± hyaline, medially light brown, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, 2-keeled in proximal 30–60%, deltate-ovate, 1.6–2.4 × (1–)1.2–1.5(–1.7) mm, apex acute. |
5–30, pale greenish white or stramineous, compressed, linear-lanceoloid, 7–35 × (1.2–)1.4–2 mm; floral scales deciduous, 6–34, spreading or appressed, laterally greenish white, often reddish or brown speckled, medially green, laterally 3–5-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, elliptic, (2.2–)3–4(–4.4) × (1.2–)1.8–2.2 mm, apex acute. |
Flowers | stamens 3; anthers 0.7–1 mm; styles 0.5–1 mm; stigmas 0.6–1 mm. |
anthers 0.6 mm; styles 0.6–1.2 mm; stigmas 1–1.4(–1.7) mm. |
Achenes | brown, sessile or stipitate, broadly ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 × 0.4–0.6 mm, stipe if present to 0.1 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
reddish brown to dark brown, stipitate, narrowly ellipsoid, 1.4–2 × 0.6–0.9 mm, apex apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
Cyperus involucratus |
Cyperus sphacelatus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting early summer–fall. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Damp, disturbed soils, ditches, stream banks | Disturbed, wet soils |
Elevation | 0–100(–800) m (0–300(–2600) ft) | 0 m (0 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; FL; LA; TX; e Africa [Introduced in North America]
|
FL; Central America; South America; West Indies; Africa [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | Cyperus involucratus has been collected in New York (R. S. Mitchell and G. C. Tucker 1997). Cyperus involucratus is widely cultivated as a water plant in greenhouses and outdoors in warm-temperate or tropical climates. It has long been misidentified in the flora as C. alternifolius Linnaeus, an endemic of Madagascar (G. C. Tucker 1983). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 150. | FNA vol. 23, p. 170. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. balbisii | |
Name authority | Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 22. (1772) | Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 21. (1772) |
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