Cyperus surinamensis |
Cyperus owanii |
|
---|---|---|
tropical flatsedge |
Owan's flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual or short-lived perennial, annuals cespitose; rhizomes absent. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. |
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). |
roundly trigonous, 80–120 cm × 3–6 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | 3–9, V-shaped, (12–)25–45(–65) cm × 2–10 mm; blades and bracts without cross ribs. |
5–12, V-shaped, 30–75 cm × 8–14 mm, septate, leathery, margins harshly scabrid. |
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. |
spikes 1–4 per ray, loosely ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 12–20 × 8–12 mm; rays 6–9, 3–10(–12) cm; 2d order rays 1–4, 1–2 cm; rachis 4–12 mm; bracts 5–10, horizontal to ascending at 30°, 15–40 cm × 4–8(–11) mm; rachilla deciduous, wings persistent, hyaline, fragile, 0.3 mm wide, covering less than 1/2 of achene. |
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. |
40–80, narrowly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, roughly quadrangular to weakly flattened, 5–8 × 1.2–1.5 mm; distal spikelet spreading or ascending; floral scales (1–)2(–3), ascending, brick red, medially greenish, laterally 3–4-ribbed, medially 1–3-ribbed, green, ovate, 2.2–3.5 × 1.5–1.8 mm, apex subacute. |
Flowers | stamen 1; anthers 0.5 mm; styles 0.8–1.1 mm; stigmas 0.5 mm. |
anthers (0.7–)1–1.5 mm, filaments 4–4.7 mm; styles 0.5–0.9 mm; stigmas 2–3 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, ellipsoid to oblong-fusiform, 1.7–1.8 × 0.7 mm, base cuneate, apex subacute and apiculate, surfaces finely puncticulate to glabrous. |
Cyperus surinamensis |
Cyperus owanii |
|
Phenology | Fruiting late spring–early fall. | Fruiting spring–fall. |
Habitat | Moist sunny areas with disturbed soils | Disturbed, damp thickets, open woods |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; KS; LA; MS; OK; SC; TN; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
|
CA; s Africa [Introduced in North America] |
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.) |
Cyperus owanii is easily distinguished from other sedges in California by the large size, reddish spikelets, and secondary rays. It was first collected in California in 1938. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 153. | FNA vol. 23, p. 184. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Mariscus umbilensis | |
Name authority | Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 20. (1772) | Boeckeler: Flora 61: 29. (1878) |
Web links |