Cyperus laevigatus |
Cyperus filiculmis |
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smooth cyperus, smooth flatsedge, smooth nutgrass |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, bases cormose; rhizomes knotted, beaded. |
Culms | single or close together, trigonous to ± terete, (1–)8–30(–60) cm × (0.3–)0.6–1.5(–2.2) mm, glabrous. |
trigonous, 15–48 cm × 0.4–1 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | blades present or reduced to sheaths, base of culm covered with reddish sheath 5–25 mm, distally short toothed 1–2 mm, or leaf blades involute, 1–7 cm × 0.3–1(–1.6) mm. |
flat, 10–30 cm × 0.5–2 mm. |
Inflorescences | heads appearing lateral, spikes ± digitate, 5–15 × 5–15 mm; rays absent, sometimes 1, to 2 mm; bracts (1–)2(–3), longer bracts erect, appearing as continuation of culm, shorter bract(s) horizontal or ascending, longer bracts (1–)2–8(–12) cm × 0.5–3 mm, shorter (0.3–)1–4.5 cm × 0.2–1 mm. |
spikes rather densely ovoid, 1–3.5 cm; rays 0 (sometimes 1–4), 1–6 cm; rachis 1–4 mm; bracts 3–4, horizontal to slightly reflexed, flat, 6–25 cm; rachilla ± deciduous, wingless. |
Spikelets | (1–)2–7(–14), whitish green to reddish, compressed-turgid, ellipsoid to oblong-lanceoloid, 4–7(–12) × (1.6–)2–3(–3.6) mm; floral scales (8–)12–22, off-white, whitish with red speckles, or with single red spot 0.5 mm wide, medially whitish, oblong-laterally ribless or weakly 2-ribbed, medially weakly 1–3-ribbed, obovate to orbiculate, 1.5–2 × (1.3–)1.6–2 mm. |
25–60, compressed, oblong-lanceoloid, 5–12 × 2.2–3.5 mm; floral scales deciduous, 5–15, yellowish to yellowish brown, laterally 4–5-ribbed, oblong-ovate, 2.6–3.6 × 1.4–2 mm, margins loosely spreading or clasping achene. |
Flowers | anthers (0.5–)0.7–1 mm, connective apex reddish, 0.1–0.2 mm; styles 0.8–1.2 mm; stigmas 0.7–1 mm. |
anthers 0.8–1 mm; styles 1 mm; stigmas 1.5–2.5 mm. |
Achenes | gray, glossy, oblong-ellipsoid to ovoid, (1.2–)1.3–1.5(–1.8) × (0.7–)0.8–1(–1.2) mm, base cuneate to stipelike, apex apiculate, surfaces finely reticulate to papillate. |
dark grayish brown, sessile, narrowly oblong, 1.8–2.2 × 0.5–0.8 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
Cyperus laevigatus |
Cyperus filiculmis |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Alkaline grasslands, hotsprings, ditches, brackish marshes | Well-drained, open roadsides, fields, pine barrens, dunes |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NC; TX; Mexico; South America; West Indies; Europe; Asia; Africa
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AL; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; SC; TX; VA |
Discussion | Cyperus laevigatus is one of only two species of subg. Juncellus in the New World. It can be distinguished from all other New World species of Cyperus by its two stigmas and disclike, strongly flattened achene, which is borne with its face toward the rachilla. Species of subg. Pycreus, especially C. niger, have been misidentified as C. laevigatus, probably because of the dark, shiny spikelets. All species of subg. Pycreus have biconvex achenes like C. laevigatus; in species of subg. Pycreus the achene is attached with an edge toward the rachilla; in C. laevigatus the achene faces the rachilla. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus filiculmis has long been treated within a broader and more widely used concept of C. filiculmis (C. lupulinus); see B. G. Marcks (1974) (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 164. | FNA vol. 23, p. 175. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Juncellus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Acorellus laevigatus, Chlorocyperus laevigatus, Juncellus laevigatus, Pycreus laevigatus | C. martindalei |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Mant. Pl. 2: 179. (1771) | Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 328. (1805) |
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