Cyperus oxylepis |
Cyperus croceus |
|
---|---|---|
sharpscale flatsedge |
Baldwin's flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, coarse, (culms, leaves, bracts, and rays viscid). | Herbs perennial, cespitose. |
Culms | roundly trigonous, 10–50 cm × 0.9–2.4 mm. |
trigonous, (4–)14–45 cm × 1–2 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | adaxial face concave, becoming flat to trigonous apically, 10–46 cm × 1.5–4 mm, margins involute. |
yellow-green, flat, 18–44 cm × 3–4.5 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. |
spikes densely to loosely globose to ovoid, 10–20 mm wide; rays (3–)5–9(–14), 1–15(–26) cm; rachis 3–6(–9) mm; bracts (4–)6–9(–11), horizontal to ascending at 45°, flat, 1–30 cm × 0.5–4 mm; rachilla deciduous, wings persistent, 0.3–0.5(–0.8) mm wide. |
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. |
(10–)30–50, oblong to lanceoloid, quadrangular to subterete, compressed, 4–8 × 1–1.3 mm; distal spikelet spreading or ascending; floral scales persistent, (1–)2–4(–6), appressed, whitish with red speckles, laterally 2–4-ribbed, ovate, 2.3–3.6 × 1.8–2.2 mm. |
Flowers | anthers 0.6–0.8 mm; styles 0.8–1.6 mm; stigmas 1–1.4 mm. |
anthers 0.5 mm; styles 0.6–1.3 mm; stigmas 1.2–2.6 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. |
reddish brown to nearly black, sessile, oblong, ellipsoid, 2–2.4 × 0.4–0.5(–0.7) mm, apex ± truncate-emarginate, apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
Cyperus oxylepis |
Cyperus croceus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting summer–early fall. |
Habitat | Ditches and disturbed places in marshes, often in saline soil | Disturbed, sunny areas, coastal rocks, moist thickets |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; SC; TX; Mexico; South America [Introduced in North America]
|
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; South America (Venezuela)
|
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 globulosus Aublet is a synonym of C. luzulae (Linnaeus) Rottbøll ex Retzius, which is a widespread neotropical species, and it has long been misapplied to Cyperus croceus (G. C. Tucker 1987). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 171. | FNA vol. 23, p. 183. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. baldwinii, C. cyclostachyus, C. echinatus var. multiflora, C. globulosus var. pseudofiliculmis, C. globulosus var. robustus, C. plankii, C. retrorsus var. robustus, Mariscus bracheilema, Mariscus brittonii | |
Name authority | Nees ex Steudel: Syn. Pl. Glumac. 2: 25. (1855) | Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 357. (1805) |
Web links |