Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus elegans |
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mosquito flatsedge |
royal flatsedge, sticky flatsedge |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial; rhizomes 3–20 cm × 1–2 cm, indurate. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, shortly rhizomatous, coarse, viscous. |
Culms | stoutly trigonous, thickened, 50–300 cm × 5–30 mm, basally indurate, glabrous. |
round to roundly trigonous, 15–80 cm × 2–4 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | V-shaped, with cross ribs, 40–130 cm × 10–15 mm, margins and keel scabrid. |
adaxial face concave, becoming trigonous apically, 15–75 cm × 1–4 mm, margins involute. |
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. |
spikes ovoid, 10–20 mm wide; rays 3–8(–10), 0.5–12 cm; 2d order rays 0–3, 1–3 cm; bracts 3–7, horizontal to vertical, 2.5–5.5 cm × 1–4 mm, margins involute; 2d order bracts 0–3, 1–3 cm; rachilla persistent, wingless. |
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. |
3–20(–30), beige to greenish or reddish brown, strongly compressed, oblong-ellipsoid to oblong-lanceoloid, 3–15 × 2.5–3.5 mm; floral scales deciduous, 6–22, laterally pale greenish white to stramineous or reddish brown, medially pale green to yellowish green, laterally 2-ribbed, medially 3–5-ribbed, broadly ovate, (2–)2.8–3.6 × 2.4–2.6 mm, apex with slightly excurved mucro 0.2–0.3 mm, apically scabrid. |
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. |
anthers 0.6–1.4 mm; styles 1.2–1.5 mm; stigmas 1–1.5(–3) mm. |
Achenes | brown, sessile, narrowly ellipsoid, 1.8–2.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex ± acute, not apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
dark reddish brown to black, stipitate, obovoid, faces concave, flat or subtly convex, (1.4–)1.8–2 × 0.9–1 mm, base cuneate, stipe (sometimes absent) spongy, 0.1–0.2 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex truncate, apiculate, surfaces coarsely papillose. |
Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus elegans |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Coastal marshes | Ditches, damp pastures, pond shores, riverbanks |
Elevation | 0–10 m [0–30 ft] | 0–500 m [0–1600 ft] |
Distribution |
LA; Mexico; Central America; South America |
FL; LA; NM; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
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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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 167. | FNA vol. 23, p. 172. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. amplissimus | C. trachynotus |
Name authority | Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 206. (1816) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 45. (1753) |
Web links |