Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus |
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mosquito flatsedge |
cyperus, flatsedge, galingale, nutsedge, umbrella-sedge |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial; rhizomes 3–20 cm × 1–2 cm, indurate. | Herbs, perennial or less often annual, cespitose or not, rhizomatous, stoloniferous, rarely tuberous. | ||||||||||||||||
Culms | stoutly trigonous, thickened, 50–300 cm × 5–30 mm, basally indurate, glabrous. |
solitary or not, trigonous or round, glabrous or scabridulous with extrorse or antrorse (rarely retrorse) prickles. |
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Leaves | V-shaped, with cross ribs, 40–130 cm × 10–15 mm, margins and keel scabrid. |
usually basal; ligules absent; blades keeled abaxially, flat, V-, or inversely W-shaped in cross section. |
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Inflorescences | spikes appressed-ascending, narrowly cylindric, (2–)3–45 mm × (4–)7–10 mm; rays (5–)9–12, 2–22(–30) cm; 2d order rays distinctly flattened, 1–10 cm; 3d order rays flattened, 0.5–3 cm; rachis 2.5–4 cm; bracts (6–)9–10, ascending at 45–75°, V- or inversely W-shaped, (5–)15–90 cm × 0.5–20 mm; rachilla persistent, wings 0.2–0.4 mm wide. |
terminal, rarely pseudolateral, 1st order subumbellate to capitate, 2d order with spicate or digitately arranged spikelets, rarely a solitary spikelet; spikelets 1–150; 1st order rays unequal (rarely equal) in length, produced singly from the axils of inflorescence bracts; involucral bracts 1–22, spirally arranged at culm apex, spreading to erect, leaflike. |
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Spikelets | (4–)10–35, appressed-ascending, compressed, linear, 7–12(–15) × 0.6–1.2 mm; floral scales deciduous, 6–20, marginally clear, laterally brown, medially green, laterally 2–3-ribbed, medially 1-ribbed, oblong-ovate, (3.2–) 3.8–4.3 × 1.2–1.7 mm, apex spreading, acute to obtuse, mucronulate. |
scales to 76, distichous, each subtending flower, cylindric to compressed, borne spicately or digitately at ends of rays (occasionally proliferous). |
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Flowers | anthers 0.7–0.9 mm, connective apex bright red, oblong, to 0.1 mm; styles 0.8–1.3 mm; stigmas 2–3.3 mm. |
bisexual [rarely unisexual], in axils of distichous floral scales, bases often decurrent onto rachilla as ± hyaline wings; perianth absent; stamens 1–3; styles linear, 2–3-fid, base deciduous or persistent; stigmas 2–3. |
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Achenes | brown, sessile, narrowly ellipsoid, 1.8–2.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex ± acute, not apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
biconvex, flattened, or trigonous. |
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Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Coastal marshes | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 0–10 m (0–0 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
LA; Mexico; Central America; South America |
Pantemperate and tropical |
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Discussion | Cyperus prolixus produces large plants, similar in habit to C. giganteus and C. papyrus but easily distinguished by flattened rays. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Species ca. 600 (96 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 167. | FNA vol. 23, p. 141. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus | Cyperaceae | ||||||||||||||||
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Synonyms | C. amplissimus | |||||||||||||||||
Name authority | Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 206. (1816) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 44. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 26. (1754) | ||||||||||||||||
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