Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus grayi |
|
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mosquito flatsedge |
Gray's flatsedge, Gray's sedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial; rhizomes 3–20 cm × 1–2 cm, indurate. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. |
Culms | stoutly trigonous, thickened, 50–300 cm × 5–30 mm, basally indurate, glabrous. |
basally cormlike, trigonous, 5–40 cm × 0.5–1.3 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | V-shaped, with cross ribs, 40–130 cm × 10–15 mm, margins and keel scabrid. |
V-shaped, 5–25 cm × 1–3 mm, slightly minutely scabridulous abaxially on margins, midrib. |
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 loosely ± globose, 6–20 mm wide; rays 1–8 cm; rachis 1–4 mm; bracts 3–8, ascending, V-shaped, 3–20 cm × 1–3 mm; rachilla deciduous, wings hyaline, 0.6 mm wide. |
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. |
3–18(–28), oblong-lanceoloid, compressed, 3–12 × 1.8–2.5 mm; floral scales deciduous, 2–11, yellowish brown to reddish brown, laterally 3–4-ribbed, ovate, 2–2.8 × 1.6–2.2 mm, apex mucronulate. |
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 0.7–1 mm; styles 0.4–0.6 mm; stigmas 1–2 mm. |
Achenes | brown, sessile, narrowly ellipsoid, 1.8–2.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex ± acute, not apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
dark brown, ± stipitate, ellipsoid, 1.5–2 × 0.7–1 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate surfaces glabrous or puncticulate. |
2n | = 166. |
|
Cyperus prolixus |
Cyperus grayi |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Coastal marshes | Coastal dunes, well-drained woods, railroad yards |
Elevation | 0–10 m [0–30 ft] | 0–200 m [0–700 ft] |
Distribution |
LA; Mexico; Central America; South America |
CT; DE; GA; MA; MD; NC; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA |
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.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 167. | FNA vol. 23, p. 179. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. amplissimus | C. filiculmis var. grayi, C. filiculmis var. oblitus |
Name authority | Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 206. (1816) | Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 268. (1836) |
Web links |