Cyperus surinamensis |
Cyperus papyrus |
|
---|---|---|
tropical flatsedge |
Egyptian paper-reed, papyrus |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual or short-lived perennial, annuals cespitose; rhizomes absent. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, stout. |
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, 300–500 cm × 15–45 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | 3–9, V-shaped, (12–)25–45(–65) cm × 2–10 mm; blades and bracts without cross ribs. |
bladeless. |
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 loosely cylindric, 10–20 × 6–10 mm; rays 40–100, drooping or arching, slender, 10–30 cm; 2d order rays 8–20 cm; bracts 4–10, ± erect, V-shaped, 3–8 cm × 4–15 mm; 2d order bracts 2–5, (1.5–)4–16 cm × 0.5–2 mm; rachilla persistent, separating laterally, remaining firmly attached basally, wings 0.3–0.4 mm wide. |
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. |
6–30, slightly compressed, linear, ± quadrangular, 6–10 × 0.8–1 mm; floral scales 6–16, reddish beside 5-ribbed green medial part, white to hyaline near margins, ovate-elliptic, 1.8–2.2 × 1.2–1.5 mm, apex acute to obtuse. |
Flowers | stamen 1; anthers 0.5 mm; styles 0.8–1.1 mm; stigmas 0.5 mm. |
anthers 0.8–1 mm (connectives prolonged beyond anther as red subulate appendage 0.2–0.5 mm, apex usually setose); styles 0.2–0.4 mm; stigmas 0.8–1.2 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. |
pale brown, sessile, oblong, 0.8–1 × 0.4 mm, apex scarcely apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
Cyperus surinamensis |
Cyperus papyrus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting late spring–early fall. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Moist sunny areas with disturbed soils | Stream banks, marshes |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 0–30 m (0–100 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; KS; LA; MS; OK; SC; TN; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
|
FL; s Europe; sw Asia; 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 papyrus is conspicuous in the field by its great height, leafless culm, and open, hemispheric inflorescence with drooping rays. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans prepared paper from the pith of the culms of Cyperus papyrus, which is abundant along the Nile River. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 153. | FNA vol. 23, p. 173. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 20. (1772) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 47. (1753) |
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