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bentawn flatsedge

foxtail flatsedge

Habit Herbs, perennial, cespitose; rhizomes elongate, scaly, 2–3 mm wide. Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, coarse.
Culms

roundly trigonous to terete, 30–80 cm × 1–1.6 mm, glabrous.

trigonous, 150–250 cm × 2–15 mm, glabrous.

Leaves

1–6, 10–40 cm, glabrous or essentially so.

inversely W-shaped, 30–150 cm × 6–22 mm.

Inflorescences

heads ovoid to pyramidal, 9–15 mm diam.;

rays 0 or 3–6, 0.5–4 cm, glabrous;

bracts 3–4, longest erect, appearing as continuation of culm, others horizontal to ascending, 4–17 cm × 1.5–4 mm.

spikes 1–4, cylindric, 1.5–4 cm × 7–15 mm;

rays 3–9, 10–26 cm; 2d order rays 2–11 cm; 3d order rays 1–4 cm (or absent);

bracts 3–5, ± horizontal, 20–100 cm × 3–15 mm; 2d order bracts 2–7 cm × 2–7 mm; 3d order bracts 2–5 cm × 2–4 mm (or absent);

rachilla persistent, wingless or wing hyaline, narrow, 0.1 mm wide.

Spikelets

25–60, reddish with contrasting yellowish or greenish edges, oblong-lanceoloid, strongly compressed, 5–6(–15) × 1.5–2.5 mm;

floral scales 10–22, laterally reddish, medially yellowish green, 2-keeled, laterally strongly 1-ribbed on each side, proximally grooved, ovate-elliptic, 1.4–2.2 × 0.8–1.5 mm, apex acute, apically scabridulous (sometimes glabrous).

50–100, linear, ± quadrangular, slightly compressed, 8–11 × 0.9–1.2 mm;

floral scales 15–30, marginally clear, laterally reddish along midrib, medially green, laterally 3–4 ribbed, medially 3–5-ribbed, ovate, 1–2–1.6 × 1.1–1.3 mm, apex mucronulate.

Flowers

stamen 1;

anthers 0.6–1 mm;

styles 0.3–0.5 mm;

stigmas 0.3–0.6 mm.

anthers 2, 0.4–0.5 mm;

styles 0.8–1 mm;

stigmas 2, 0.4 mm.

Achenes

reddish brown, stipitate, ovoid-ellipsoid, 0.8–0.9 × 0.3–0.4 mm, stipe 0.1–0.2 mm, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces reticulate or subtly rugulose.

dark brown, sessile, ellipsoid to obovoid, 0.9 × 0.4–0.5 mm, surfaces finely puncticulate.

Cyperus reflexus

Cyperus alopecuroides

Phenology Fruiting late spring–fall (May–Oct). Fruiting summer.
Habitat Muddy soils or shallow waters Pond shores, stream banks
Elevation 0–200 m (0–700 ft) 0–30 m (0–100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; LA; OK; TX; Mexico; Central America (Costa Rica)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; West Indies; Asia; Africa; Australia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cyperus reflexus is recognized by its reddish scales with contrasting greenish or yellow keels and by the laterally 1ribbed scales. The lateral rib is most often situated where the reddish and yellowish parts of the scale meet. Two varieties of C. reflexus, var. reflexus and var. fraternus, have been recognized (M. F. Denton 1978b). Both varieties were noted as intermingled in the North American and South American segments of the widely disjunct range of C. reflexus. Such variation does not seem significant at the varietal level (see G. C. Tucker 1994; G. C. Tucker and R. McVaugh 1993).

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

Cyperus alopecuroides has been introduced in Polk County, Florida.

Plants of Cyperus alopecuroides might be confused with C. digitatus; large size and the biconvex achenes with two stigmas characterize C. alopecuroides.

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

Source FNA vol. 23. FNA vol. 23, p. 173.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus
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. pumilus, 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. 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. 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. arenicola, C. fraternus, C. pseudovegetus var. arenicola, C. reflexus var. fraternus
Name authority Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 299. (1805) Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 20. (1772)
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