Cyperus involucratus |
Cyperus fendlerianus |
|
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umbrella-plant |
Fendler flatsedge, Fendler's flatsedge, Fendler's nutgrass, Fendler's sedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous. |
Culms | trigonous, 30–150 cm × 1–5(–8) mm. |
trigonous, (7–)20–70(–85) cm × (0.5–)1–1.8(–2.6) mm, glabrous or sparsely to densely scabridulous on surfaces or on angles immediately proximal to inflorescence in distal 3–6 cm. |
Leaves | bladeless. |
2–3, flat to V-shaped, (12–)20–40(–55) cm × (2–)3–5(–7) 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 (1–)3–4(–6), largest erect, others at base of central spike, erect spike sessile, loosely to densely cylindric to ovoid-cylindric, (12–)18–30 × (6–)12–20 mm, remaining spikes 1/2 as large; rays absent; bracts (2–)3–6(–10), ± horizontal to reflexed parallel to culm, (2–)6–16(–25) cm × (1.5–)2–4(–7) mm; rachilla ± deciduous, wingless. |
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. |
(8–)15–30, spreading to ascending-appressed, oblong-lanceoloid, quadrangular, slightly compressed, 5–8(–10) × (2–)2.4–3.4(–4.2) mm; floral scales (2–)4–6(–8), yellowish, reddish, or greenish brown, medially greenish, straight to excurved, laterally (2–)3–4(–5)-ribbed, medially (1–)3–(–5)-ribbed, ovate-orbiculate, 2.4–2.8(–3.4) × 2.4–2.8(–3.4) mm, apex obtuse, mucronate to cuspidate, stout, (0.1–)0.3–0.6 mm, medially glabrous. |
Flowers | stamens 3; anthers 0.7–1 mm; styles 0.5–1 mm; stigmas 0.6–1 mm. |
anthers 0.4–0.8 mm; styles 0.7–1.3 mm; stigmas 0.7–1.2 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. |
finely reticulate, brown to reddish brown, ± stipelike, obovoid, 1.6–1.9 × 1.1–1.4(–1.6) mm, base attenuate to cuneate, 0.1–0.2 × 0.2 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces glabrous. |
Cyperus involucratus |
Cyperus fendlerianus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting early summer–fall. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Damp, disturbed soils, ditches, stream banks | Clearings in montane forests |
Elevation | 0–100(–800) m [0–300(–2600) ft] | 500–1800 m [1600–5900 ft] |
Distribution |
CA; FL; LA; TX; e Africa [Introduced in North America] |
AZ; CO; NM; TX; WY; Mexico
|
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.) |
Hybridization between Cyperus fendlerianus and C. sphaerolepis occurs occasionally in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico (B. G. Marcks 1972). The unnamed hybrid appears to be fully fertile and can be recognized by morphologic intermediacy. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 150. | FNA vol. 23, p. 177. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Chlorocyperus fendlerianus | |
Name authority | Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 22. (1772) | Boeckeler: Linnaea 35: 520. (1868) |
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