Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus fuscus |
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mosquito flatsedge |
brown flatsedge, brown galingale |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial; rhizomes 3–20 cm × 1–2 cm, indurate. | Herbs, annual, cespitose. |
Culms | stoutly trigonous, thickened, 50–300 cm × 5–30 mm, basally indurate, glabrous. |
trigonous, 2–30 cm × 0.6–1.1 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | V-shaped, with cross ribs, 40–130 cm × 10–15 mm, margins and keel scabrid. |
flat, 4–10 cm × 2–4 mm. |
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. |
rays 1–3, 0.2–1.5 cm; 2d order rays present in robust plants, to 5 mm; bracts 2–3, longest erect, others spreading, 1–20 cm × 1.5–3 mm. |
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. |
3–12, narrowly ellipsoid, flattened, 3–7 × 0.9–1.2 mm; floral scales 8–12(–16), laterally purplish brown, medially greenish yellow, 3-ribbed medially, orbiculate, 0.9–1.1 × 1 mm, apex mucronate. |
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. |
stamen 1; anthers ellipsoid, 0.2 mm, connective not prolonged; styles 0.3–0.4 mm; stigmas 0.3 mm. |
Achenes | brown, sessile, narrowly ellipsoid, 1.8–2.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex ± acute, not apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
light brown, ellipsoid, 0.7–0.9 × 0.4 mm, base barely stipelike to narrowly cuneate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous. |
Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus fuscus |
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Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Coastal marshes | Damp, disturbed soils, emergent shorelines, puddles |
Elevation | 0–10 m [0–30 ft] | 0–1700 m [0–5600 ft] |
Distribution |
LA; Mexico; Central America; South America |
CA; CT; MA; MD; MO; NE; NJ; NV; PA; SD; VA; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North 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.) |
A native of temperate Eurasia, Cyperus fuscus is intermittently adventive and locally established 35°–45° N latitude. The report from New York (M. L. Fernald 1950) is based on a misidentification of C. diandrus (R. S. Mitchell and G. C. Tucker 1997). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 167. | FNA vol. 23, p. 157. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. amplissimus | |
Name authority | Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 206. (1816) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 46. (1753) |
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