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Parish flatsedge, Parish's flatsedge, Parish's nutgrass

Owan's flatsedge

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

trigonous, 5–25 cm × 1–1.5 mm, glabrous.

roundly trigonous, 80–120 cm × 3–6 mm, glabrous.

Leaves

5–12, V-shaped, 30–75 cm × 8–14 mm, septate, leathery, margins harshly scabrid.

Inflorescences

spikes loosely ovoid, 15–25 mm wide;

rays 1–6, 2–7 cm;

bracts 2–5, 3–20 cm, ascending;

rachilla deciduous, winged.

spikes 1–4 per ray, loosely ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 12–20 × 8–12 mm;

rays 6–9, 3–10(–12) cm; 2d order rays 1–4, 1–2 cm;

rachis 4–12 mm;

bracts 5–10, horizontal to ascending at 30°, 15–40 cm × 4–8(–11) mm;

rachilla deciduous, wings persistent, hyaline, fragile, 0.3 mm wide, covering less than 1/2 of achene.

Spikelets

5–30, linear, flattened, 6–22 × 1.5–2.2 mm;

floral scales ± deciduous, (4–)8–12, red, reddish purple, or reddish brown, medially green, elliptic, laterally 2–4-ribbed, 2.3–3.1 × 1.2–2 mm, apex acute to obtuse.

40–80, narrowly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, roughly quadrangular to weakly flattened, 5–8 × 1.2–1.5 mm;

distal spikelet spreading or ascending;

floral scales (1–)2(–3), ascending, brick red, medially greenish, laterally 3–4-ribbed, medially 1–3-ribbed, green, ovate, 2.2–3.5 × 1.5–1.8 mm, apex subacute.

Flowers

anthers 0.3–0.4 mm;

styles 1 mm;

stigmas 1.3–1.6 mm.

anthers (0.7–)1–1.5 mm, filaments 4–4.7 mm;

styles 0.5–0.9 mm;

stigmas 2–3 mm.

Achenes

brown to dark purplish brown, broadly ellipsoid, 1–1.3 × 0.6–0.9 mm, surfaces puncticulate.

brown, ellipsoid to oblong-fusiform, 1.7–1.8 × 0.7 mm, base cuneate, apex subacute and apiculate, surfaces finely puncticulate to glabrous.

Cyperus parishii

Cyperus owanii

Phenology Fruiting summer. Fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat Stream banks, desert washes, arroyos, roadsides Disturbed, damp thickets, open woods
Elevation 0 800 m (0 2600 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; s Africa [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cyperus owanii is easily distinguished from other sedges in California by the large size, reddish spikelets, and secondary rays. It was first collected in California in 1938.

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

Source FNA vol. 23, p. 170. FNA vol. 23, p. 184.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. congestus var. parishii Mariscus umbilensis
Name authority Britton ex Parish: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 3: 52, plate 3. (1904) Boeckeler: Flora 61: 29. (1878)
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