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umbrella-plant

fern flatsedge

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. Herbs, annual, cespitose.
Culms

trigonous, 30–150 cm × 1–5(–8) mm.

trigonous, 5–50 cm × 0.4–2 mm, glabrous.

Leaves

bladeless.

flat, 10–30 cm × 1–3 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.

heads loosely globose, 10–22 mm diam.;

rays 0–6, 1–7 cm;

bracts 3–6, horizontal to slightly ascending, flat, 3–26 cm × 1–3 mm.

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.

6–20, linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 7–30 × 2–3 mm;

floral scales 8–28, stramineous to light reddish brown, laterally ribless, ovate, 2.7–3.6 × 1.6–1.8 mm.

Flowers

stamens 3;

anthers 0.7–1 mm;

styles 0.5–1 mm;

stigmas 0.6–1 mm.

stamens 2;

anthers 0.5 mm, connective apex reddish, subulate, 0.1–0.2 mm;

styles 1.9–2.1 mm;

stigmas 1–1.3 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.

brown, oblong, 1.2–1.6 × 0.6–0.9 mm, base cuneate to ± stipelike, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate.

Cyperus involucratus

Cyperus filicinus

Phenology Fruiting early summer–fall. Fruiting summer.
Habitat Damp, disturbed soils, ditches, stream banks Swales between dunes, upper edges of tidal marshes, occasionally emergent shorelines, roadsides, inland ditches
Elevation 0–100(–800) m [0–300(–2600) ft] 0(–50) m [0(–160) ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; LA; TX; e Africa [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; GA; IL; LA; MA; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; RI; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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. Treatment authors: Gordon C. Tucker*, Brian G. Marcks*, J. Richard Carter *. FNA vol. 23, p. 160. Treatment authors: Gordon C. Tucker*, Brian G. Marcks*, J. Richard Carter *.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus
Sibling taxa
C. acuminatus, C. aggregatus, C. alopecuroides, C. amabilis, C. articulatus, C. bipartitus, C. cephalanthus, C. compressus, C. croceus, C. cuspidatus, C. dentatus, C. dentoniae, C. diandrus, C. difformis, C. digitatus, C. dipsaceus, C. distans, C. distinctus, C. drummondii, C. echinatus, C. elegans, C. entrerianus, C. eragrostis, C. erythrorhizos, C. esculentus, C. fendlerianus, C. filicinus, C. filiculmis, C. filiformis, C. flavescens, C. flavicomus, C. floribundus, C. fugax, C. fuligineus, C. fuscus, C. giganteus, C. gracilis, C. granitophilus, C. grayi, C. grayoides, C. haspan, C. hermaphroditus, C. houghtonii, C. hypopitys, C. hystricinus, C. iria, C. laevigatus, C. lancastriensis, C. lanceolatus, C. lecontei, C. lentiginosus, C. ligularis, C. lupulinus, C. manimae, C. microiria, C. mutisii, C. niger, C. ochraceus, C. odoratus, C. onerosus, C. ovatus, C. owanii, C. oxylepis, C. pallidicolor, C. papyrus, C. parishii, C. pilosus, C. planifolius, C. plukenetii, C. polystachyos, C. prolifer, C. prolixus, C. pseudothyrsiflorus, C. pseudovegetus, C. pumilus, C. reflexus, C. refractus, C. retroflexus, C. retrofractus, C. retrorsus, C. rotundus, C. sanguinolentus, C. schweinitzii, C. serotinus, C. seslerioides, C. setigerus, C. spectabilis, C. sphacelatus, C. sphaerolepis, C. squarrosus, C. strigosus, C. surinamensis, C. tetragonus, C. thyrsiflorus, C. virens
C. acuminatus, C. aggregatus, C. alopecuroides, C. amabilis, C. articulatus, C. bipartitus, C. cephalanthus, C. compressus, C. croceus, C. cuspidatus, C. dentatus, C. dentoniae, C. diandrus, C. difformis, C. digitatus, C. dipsaceus, C. distans, C. distinctus, C. drummondii, C. echinatus, C. elegans, C. entrerianus, C. eragrostis, C. erythrorhizos, C. esculentus, C. fendlerianus, C. filiculmis, C. filiformis, C. flavescens, C. flavicomus, C. floribundus, C. fugax, C. fuligineus, C. fuscus, C. giganteus, C. gracilis, C. granitophilus, C. grayi, C. grayoides, C. haspan, C. hermaphroditus, C. houghtonii, C. hypopitys, C. hystricinus, C. involucratus, C. iria, C. laevigatus, C. lancastriensis, C. lanceolatus, C. lecontei, C. lentiginosus, C. ligularis, C. lupulinus, C. manimae, C. microiria, C. mutisii, C. niger, C. ochraceus, C. odoratus, C. onerosus, C. ovatus, C. owanii, C. oxylepis, C. pallidicolor, C. papyrus, C. parishii, C. pilosus, C. planifolius, C. plukenetii, C. polystachyos, C. prolifer, C. prolixus, C. pseudothyrsiflorus, C. pseudovegetus, C. pumilus, C. reflexus, C. refractus, C. retroflexus, C. retrofractus, C. retrorsus, C. rotundus, C. sanguinolentus, C. schweinitzii, C. serotinus, C. seslerioides, C. setigerus, C. spectabilis, C. sphacelatus, C. sphaerolepis, C. squarrosus, C. strigosus, C. surinamensis, C. tetragonus, C. thyrsiflorus, C. virens
Synonyms C. polystachyos var. macrostachyos
Name authority Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 22. (1772) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 332. (1805)
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