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epiphytic flatsedge

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous.
Culms

trigonous, compressed, 15–75 cm × 0.5–3 mm, glabrous.

and leaves with Kranz (chlorocyperoid) anatomy.

Leaves

1–3, 5–30 cm × 1–2 mm.

Inflorescences

spikes 1(–2), ovoid, 5–23 × 9–21 mm;

rays 2–3(–4), 0–15 mm;

if rays absent, head single, compact, sessile, (12–)15–20 mm diam.;

bracts 2–3, horizontal to vertical, 2–14 cm × 0.5–3.5 mm.

spikes;

rachilla persistent, wingless or nearly so.

Spikelets

1–6, oblong-lanceoloid, 5–26 × 2–3 mm;

floral scales 12–54, closely imbricate, laterally yellowish brown, medially pale brown, occasionally greenish, laterally 1-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, distinctly 2-keeled basally, ovate, 1.8–2.6 × 1.4–1.7 mm, apex obtuse.

borne in loosely spicate to ± digitate clusters;

floral scales deciduous, 2-keeled or folded.

Flowers

stamens 2;

anthers 0.4–0.5 mm, connectives not prolonged;

styles 0.3–1 mm;

stigmas 0.6–0.8(–1) mm.

stamens (1–)2–3;

pistils 2;

stigmas 2.

Achenes

brown, network of ridges forming isodiametric or square cells, stipitate, obovoid to ellipsoid, 1.1–1.3 × (0.5–)0.6 mm, apex acute to broadly rounded, surfaces minutely punctate or finely papillose.

biconvex or ± cylindric, laterally compressed, edge borne toward rachilla.

Cyperus lanceolatus

Cyperus subg. Pycreus

Phenology Fruiting summer.
Habitat Marshes
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; Africa
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Worldwide
Discussion

Species ca. 100 (11 in the flora).

Laterally compressed, biconvex achenes, a feature not occurring elsewhere in the family, distinguish Cyperus subg. Pycreus. The taxon has been treated as a genus in Flora Mesoamericana (C. D. Adams 1994), an idea that may have merit.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 23, p. 162. FNA vol. 23.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus Cyperaceae > Cyperus
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. involucratus, C. iria, C. laevigatus, C. lancastriensis, 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
Subordinate taxa
Synonyms C. densus, C. humboldtianus, C. lanceolatus var. compositus, Pycreus densus subg. Pycreus, C. section Pycreus
Name authority Poiret: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 7: 245. (1806) (Palisot de Beauvois) J. Carey: Carices North. U. S., 517. (1847)
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