Cyperus oxylepis |
Cyperus acuminatus |
|
---|---|---|
sharpscale flatsedge |
pale umbrella-sedge, sharp-point flatsedge, short flatsedge, short point cyperus, taper-tip cyperus, taper-tip flat sedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, coarse, (culms, leaves, bracts, and rays viscid). | Herbs, annual, cespitose. |
Culms | roundly trigonous, 10–50 cm × 0.9–2.4 mm. |
roundly trigonous, (10–)20–30(–45) cm × 0.4–1.2 mm, distal 1/2 glabrous or infrequently scabridulous. |
Leaves | adaxial face concave, becoming flat to trigonous apically, 10–46 cm × 1.5–4 mm, margins involute. |
2–6(–8), V-shaped or flat, 8–12(–16) cm × 1–2(–4) mm. |
Inflorescences | spikes ovoid, 1–5.5 cm wide; rays usually 3–6, 0.5–5 cm, glabrous; sometimes absent in small plants; if absent, inflorescence a congested head of spikelets 1–3.5 cm diam.; 2d order rays 0–3, 1–3 cm; bracts 3–5, vertical to ascending at 45°, 2.5–25 cm × 1.2–4 mm, margins involute; 2d order bracts 0–2, 5–20 mm; rachilla persistent, wingless. |
heads hemispheric, 7–12(–15) mm diam.; rays 1–3(–5), 0.5–2 cm; bracts 3–6, longest erect to ascending, flat to V-shaped, (1.5–)3–12(–25) cm × 1–2.5(–3.5) mm. |
Spikelets | 5–24, greenish yellow to golden brown, oblong to linear-lanceoloid, quadrangular, strongly compressed, 7–20(–30) × 2.5–4(–6) mm; floral scales 10–20(–40), spreading, pale green to stramineous, laterally 2–3-ribbed, ovate-lanceolate, 3.1–4 × 1.5–2.4 mm, apex with mucro 0.2–0.8 mm. |
(15–)25–50(–75), ovoid, compressed, 4–7 × 2–3 mm; floral scales 8–20(–35), laterally yellowish, yellowish green, or light reddish brown, medially light brown or greenish brown, 2-keeled, subtly 1-ribbed, ovate-lanceolate, 1–2 × 1–1.4 mm, apex acute, mucronate, straight to excurved, glabrous or sparsely scabridulous. |
Flowers | anthers 0.6–0.8 mm; styles 0.8–1.6 mm; stigmas 1–1.4 mm. |
stamen 1; anthers 0.5 mm; styles 0.8–1.1 mm; stigmas 0.5 mm. |
Achenes | light to dark brown, rarely somewhat reddish, stipitate, ellipsoid, 2–2.4 × 0.5–0.8 mm, base cuneate, stipe whitish, spongy, 0.2–0.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex acute, persistent style forming beak 0.5–1.2 mm, surfaces glabrous or finely papillose. |
brown, stipitate, broadly ellipsoid, abruptly contracted to base, 0.8–1.1 × 0.3–0.4 mm, stipe 0.1 mm, apex acute, tapering to slender beak formed of persistent style base, surfaces papillose. |
Cyperus oxylepis |
Cyperus acuminatus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting summer–fall (Jul–Oct). |
Habitat | Ditches and disturbed places in marshes, often in saline soil | Wet, often sandy shores and damp, disturbed soils |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) |
Distribution |
AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; Mexico; South America [Introduced in North America]
|
Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas) [Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Colo., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Oreg., Pa. (introduced?), S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Utah, Va., Wash., Wyo.]
|
Discussion | Cyperus oxylepis is easily recognized by its sticky leaves, culms, and bracts (in living plants), involute leaves,and golden brown spikelets. The ovate-lanceolate floral scales and the ellipsoid, brownish achene with a persistent beak distinguish C. oxylepis from other species with deciduous floral scales. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus acuminatus may be introduced in New Hampshire and New York. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 171. | FNA vol. 23, p. 152. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. acuminatus var. cyrtolepis, C. cyrtolepis, C. cyrtolepis var. denticarinatus, C. rufescens var. denticarinatus | |
Name authority | Nees ex Steudel: Syn. Pl. Glumac. 2: 25. (1855) | Torrey & Hooker: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 435. (1836) |
Web links |
|