The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

umbrella-plant

wiry flatsedge

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

trigonous, 30–150 cm × 1–5(–8) mm.

trigonous, 20–36 cm × 0.5–1 mm.

Leaves

bladeless.

flat, 4–22 cm × 1–2 mm.

Inflorescence(s)

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.

a single loose cluster of spikelets;

rays 0–(1–2), if present, to 4 cm;

bracts 2–3, ascending, 1–8 cm × 0.7–1 mm;

rachilla with wings 0.6 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.

2–8, linear, terete, 6–20 × 0.7–1 mm;

floral scales 6–10, medially green, laterally brown, medially faintly 3-ribbed, laterally faintly 3–5-ribbed, ovate, 2.5–3 × 2 mm.

Flowers

stamens 3;

anthers 0.7–1 mm;

styles 0.5–1 mm;

stigmas 0.6–1 mm.

anthers 1 mm;

styles 0.5 mm;

stigmas 1 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.

black, sessile, obovoid, 2 × 0.8 mm, apex scarcely apiculate, surfaces puncticulate.

Cyperus involucratus

Cyperus filiformis

Phenology Fruiting early summer–fall. Fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat Damp, disturbed soils, ditches, stream banks Damp, disturbed places
Elevation 0–100(–800) m [0–300(–2600) ft] 0–20 m [0–70 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; FL; LA; TX; e Africa [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; West Indies
[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. Treatment authors: Gordon C. Tucker*, Brian G. Marcks*, J. Richard Carter *.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Diclidium
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. filicinus, C. filiculmis, 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. floridanus, Mariscus filiforme, Mariscus floridensis, Torulinium filiforme
Name authority Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 22. (1772) Swartz: Prodr., 20. (1788)
Web links