Cyperus schweinitzii |
Cyperus laevigatus |
|
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sand flatsedge, Schweinitz's flatsedge |
smooth cyperus, smooth flatsedge, smooth nutgrass |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous. |
Culms | trigonous, (10–)20–50 cm × (0.6–)1–2 mm, glabrous or more often scabridulous, either in distal 1/2 or over entire length; basal sheaths, 1–3, light brown, 1–4 cm, papery. |
single or close together, trigonous to ± terete, (1–)8–30(–60) cm × (0.3–)0.6–1.5(–2.2) mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | flat to V-shaped, (2–)20–35 cm × 2–6 mm, margins and keel minutely scabridulous; proximal leaves bladeless. |
blades present or reduced to sheaths, base of culm covered with reddish sheath 5–25 mm, distally short toothed 1–2 mm, or leaf blades involute, 1–7 cm × 0.3–1(–1.6) mm. |
Inflorescences | spikes ± umbellate to slenderly (infrequently broadly) ovoid, 10–25 × 7–16 mm; rays 3–5, 1.5–8(–15) cm; bracts 3–7, erect (or declined at most 25–30° from vertical), (2.5–)8–20(–25) cm × (0.5–)1.5–6 mm; rachilla ± deciduous, wingless. |
heads appearing lateral, spikes ± digitate, 5–15 × 5–15 mm; rays absent, sometimes 1, to 2 mm; bracts (1–)2(–3), longer bracts erect, appearing as continuation of culm, shorter bract(s) horizontal or ascending, longer bracts (1–)2–8(–12) cm × 0.5–3 mm, shorter (0.3–)1–4.5 cm × 0.2–1 mm. |
Spikelets | (1–)5–10(–20), oblong to linear-oblong, quadrangular, 7–10(–18) × (2.8–)3.2–4(–4.5) mm; floral scales deciduous, (1–)5–10(–14), spreading, laterally stramineous or dull whitish, sometimes also red-spotted, medially green, laterally 2–3-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, (2.3–)2.8–3.2 × (2–)2.4–3.2 mm, apex broadly rounded, often clear-erose, cusp 0.1–0.4 mm in proximal scales, 0.3–1 mm in distal scales. |
(1–)2–7(–14), whitish green to reddish, compressed-turgid, ellipsoid to oblong-lanceoloid, 4–7(–12) × (1.6–)2–3(–3.6) mm; floral scales (8–)12–22, off-white, whitish with red speckles, or with single red spot 0.5 mm wide, medially whitish, oblong-laterally ribless or weakly 2-ribbed, medially weakly 1–3-ribbed, obovate to orbiculate, 1.5–2 × (1.3–)1.6–2 mm. |
Flowers | anthers 0.8–1.4 mm; styles 0.1–0.3 mm; stigmas 1.5–3 mm. |
anthers (0.5–)0.7–1 mm, connective apex reddish, 0.1–0.2 mm; styles 0.8–1.2 mm; stigmas 0.7–1 mm. |
Achenes | light to dark brown or nearly black, broadly ellipsoid, infrequently obovoid, 2–2.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, base cuneate to ± stipelike, apex obtuse to broadly rounded, surfaces papillose. |
gray, glossy, oblong-ellipsoid to ovoid, (1.2–)1.3–1.5(–1.8) × (0.7–)0.8–1(–1.2) mm, base cuneate to stipelike, apex apiculate, surfaces finely reticulate to papillate. |
2n | = 166. |
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Cyperus schweinitzii |
Cyperus laevigatus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting late spring–early summer. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Riverbanks, sand bars, lakeshores, sand dunes, sandy openings in woods | Alkaline grasslands, hotsprings, ditches, brackish marshes |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; IA; IL; KY; MA; MI; MN; MO; MT; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TX; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; MB; ON; QC; SK; Mexico (Coahuila)
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AZ; CA; NC; TX; Mexico; South America; West Indies; Europe; Asia; Africa
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Discussion | Cyperus schweinitzii is introduced, but not naturalized, in Massachusetts and Washington. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus laevigatus is one of only two species of subg. Juncellus in the New World. It can be distinguished from all other New World species of Cyperus by its two stigmas and disclike, strongly flattened achene, which is borne with its face toward the rachilla. Species of subg. Pycreus, especially C. niger, have been misidentified as C. laevigatus, probably because of the dark, shiny spikelets. All species of subg. Pycreus have biconvex achenes like C. laevigatus; in species of subg. Pycreus the achene is attached with an edge toward the rachilla; in C. laevigatus the achene faces the rachilla. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 174. | FNA vol. 23, p. 164. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Juncellus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. alterniflorus | Acorellus laevigatus, Chlorocyperus laevigatus, Juncellus laevigatus, Pycreus laevigatus |
Name authority | Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 276. (1836) | Linnaeus: Mant. Pl. 2: 179. (1771) |
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