Cyperus reflexus |
Cyperus pumilus |
|
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bentawn flatsedge |
low flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose; rhizomes elongate, scaly, 2–3 mm wide. | Herbs, annual, cespitose. |
Culms | roundly trigonous to terete, 30–80 cm × 1–1.6 mm, glabrous. |
trigonous, 1–35 cm × 0.5–1 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | 1–6, 10–40 cm, glabrous or essentially so. |
flat, 5–20 cm × 1–2 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. |
heads ± digitate, 8–26 mm diam.; rays 1–6, 0.5–5 cm; bracts 3–4, ± horizontal, flat, 3–18 cm × 1–2 mm. |
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). |
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. |
Flowers | stamen 1; anthers 0.6–1 mm; styles 0.3–0.5 mm; stigmas 0.3–0.6 mm. |
stamens 1–2; anthers 0.2 mm; styles 0.5 mm; stigmas 0.3 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 to black, sessile, obovoid, 0.6 × 0.4 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate. |
Cyperus reflexus |
Cyperus pumilus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting late spring–fall (May–Oct). | Fruiting spring–summer. |
Habitat | Muddy soils or shallow waters | Disturbed, sandy soils |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–50 m (0–200 ft) |
Distribution |
FL; LA; OK; TX; Mexico; Central America (Costa Rica) |
FL; Asia; Africa (including Madagascar); Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia [Introduced in North America; West Indies (introduced)] |
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 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. | FNA vol. 23, p. 163. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. arenicola, C. fraternus, C. pseudovegetus var. arenicola, C. reflexus var. fraternus | C. leucolepis, Juncellus leucolepis, Pycreus pumilus |
Name authority | Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 299. (1805) | Linnaeus: Cent. Pl. II, 6. (1756) |
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