Cyperus surinamensis |
Cyperus diandrus |
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tropical flatsedge |
umbrella flat sedge |
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Habit | Herbs, annual or short-lived perennial, annuals cespitose; rhizomes absent. | Herbs, annual, cespitose, with fibrous roots. |
Culms | 2–6, trigonous, (10–)35–80 cm × 0.5–2(–4) mm, scabridulous with retrorse prickles (infrequently glabrous or rarely also with extrorse prickles). |
trigonous, 4–25(–35) cm, glabrous. |
Leaves | 3–9, V-shaped, (12–)25–45(–65) cm × 2–10 mm; blades and bracts without cross ribs. |
flat, 5–20 cm × 1.5–3 mm. |
Inflorescences | heads umbellate, 10–20(–30) mm diam.; rays 4–12, 1–6 cm, minutely scabridulous with retrorse prickles; 2d order rays often present, 1–2(–3) cm; 3d order rays rarely present, 0.5–1.5 cm; bracts 3–8, approximately horizontal to ascending at 30°, V-shaped to flat, 2–15(–34) cm × 1–4(–5) mm. |
heads ± digitate, 12–22 mm diam.; rays 3–6, 1–6 cm; bracts 1–4, ± horizontal, flat, 1.5–15 cm × 1.5–3 mm. |
Spikelets | (6–)15–40(–65), greenish white, linear to linear-oblong, (3–)4–12(–15) × 1.5–2.5 mm; floral scales 10–50(–65), laterally pale yellow, light brown, or reddish brown, 2-keeled, medially 3-ribbed, lanceolate, 1–1.5 × 0.8–0.9 mm, distinctly reticulate, often scabridulous near apex. |
6–12, oblong-lanceoloid, compressed, 5–10 × 2.8–3.2 mm; floral scales 8–28, closely imbricate, stramineous to light brown or clear (marginal band bright red, spikelet thus appearing dark margined), laterally ribless, oblong to ovate, 2.5–3 × 1.6–1.9 mm. |
Flowers | stamen 1; anthers 0.5 mm; styles 0.8–1.1 mm; stigmas 0.5 mm. |
stamens 2(–3); anthers 0.3 mm, connective apex reddish, subulate, 0.1–0.2 mm; styles 0.3–0.5 mm; stigmas 2.2–3.1 mm. |
Achenes | brown to reddish brown, slightly stipitate, narrowly ellipsoid, 0.7–0.9 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex apiculate, surfaces papillate or obscurely reticulate to rugulose. |
brown, network of ridges forming isodiametric or square cells, sessile or stipitate, obovoid to ovoid, 1–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm, stipe, if present, 0.1 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces minutely punctate. |
Cyperus surinamensis |
Cyperus diandrus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting late spring–early fall. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Moist sunny areas with disturbed soils | Emergent shorelines, in sandy, peaty, or slightly brackish areas (though seldom where disturbed) |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; KS; LA; MS; OK; SC; TN; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
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CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NE; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; VA; VT; NB; NS; ON; QC
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Discussion | Cyperus surinamensis is distinguished readily from all other species of the genus in the New World by the usual presence of retrorse prickles on the culms and rays. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 153. | FNA vol. 23, p. 161. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Pycreus diander | |
Name authority | Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 20. (1772) | Torrey: Cat. Pl. New York, 90. (1819) |
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