The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

low flatsedge

shining flatsedge, slender flatsedge

Habit Herbs, annual, cespitose. Herbs, annual, densely cespitose, with fibrous roots.
Culms

trigonous, 1–35 cm × 0.5–1 mm, glabrous.

roundly trigonous, 3–25(–30) cm × 0.3–1.4 mm, glabrous.

Leaves

flat, 5–20 cm × 1–2 mm.

1–3, V-shaped, 1–8 cm × 1–2 mm.

Inflorescences

heads ± digitate, 8–26 mm diam.;

rays 1–6, 0.5–5 cm;

bracts 3–4, ± horizontal, flat, 3–18 cm × 1–2 mm.

spike 1, loosely ovoid, compressed, 7–14 × 9–14 mm;

rays 1–4, to 2(–3) cm;

bracts 2–3, horizontal to ascending at 30(–45)°, V-shaped to flat, 1–12 cm × 0.5–1.5 mm.

Spikelets

6–25, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 4–15 × 1–2 mm;

floral scales 8–28(–40), clear, laterally ribless, ovate, 1.4–1.6 × 0.8 mm, apex awned, awn excurved, 0.3–0.5 mm.

3–5(–8), flattened, oblong to oblong-lanceoloid, 8–18 × 2–2.6(–3) mm;

floral scales (6–)10–26(–32), closely imbricate, laterally light to dark brown, medially light brown, laterally ribless, medially 2–3-ribbed, 2-keeled, oblong to ovate, 1.9–2.7 × 1.8–2.3 mm, apex obtuse.

Flowers

stamens 1–2;

anthers 0.2 mm;

styles 0.5 mm;

stigmas 0.3 mm.

stamens 2–3;

anthers 0.4–0.5 mm, connective not prolonged;

styles 0.6–1 mm;

stigmas 1–1.5 mm.

Achenes

dark brown to black, sessile, obovoid, 0.6 × 0.4 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate.

black, network of ridges forming isodiametric or square cells, sessile, obovoid to ovoid, 1–1.3(–1.5) × (0.6–)0.8 mm, apex apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate.

Cyperus pumilus

Cyperus bipartitus

Phenology Fruiting spring–summer. Fruiting summer.
Habitat Disturbed, sandy soils Emergent shorelines, ditches, puddles, often in disturbed places
Elevation 0–50 m (0–200 ft) 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; Asia; Africa (including Madagascar); Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America; West Indies (introduced)]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; ON; QC; Mexico; Central America; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cyperus pumilus is distinctive because it is our only distigmatic Cyperus with awned floral scales.

Cyperus hyalinus Vahl, a southeastern Asian and Australian species, has recently been collected in Miami-Dade County, Florida (Mears s.n., EIU, VSC). This is an aberrant species sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Queenslandiella as Q. hyalina (Vahl) F. Ballard; it differs from C. pumilus in having deciduous rachillae as well as deciduous floral scales.

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

Source FNA vol. 23, p. 163. FNA vol. 23, p. 161.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus
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. parishii, C. pilosus, C. planifolius, C. plukenetii, C. polystachyos, C. prolifer, C. prolixus, C. pseudothyrsiflorus, C. pseudovegetus, 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. 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. 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. leucolepis, Juncellus leucolepis, Pycreus pumilus C. rivularis
Name authority Linnaeus: Cent. Pl. II, 6. (1756) Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 257. (1836)
Web links