Cyperus tetragonus |
Cyperus granitophilus |
|
---|---|---|
fourangle flatsedge |
granite flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. | Herbs, annual, cespitose, with roots fibrous. |
Culms | trigonous, (20–) 30–80 cm × 1–2.5 mm, glabrous or occasionally with scattered prickles on distal angles. |
trigonous, glabrous. |
Leaves | 9–11, flat to slightly V-shaped, 25–80 cm × 3.5–10 mm. |
V-shaped to flat, (2–)4–11 cm × 3–4 mm. |
Inflorescences | spikes (1–)3–6, loosely cylindric or oblong with parallel sides, 1.5–4 cm × 10–17 mm; rays 6–12, 2–25 cm, glabrous or rarely scabridulous proximal to spikes; bracts 6–11, ascending at 45°, flat, (1–)10–20(–26) cm × 1–10 mm; rachilla deciduous, wings persistent, 0.4–0.5 mm wide. |
rays absent; bracts 2–4, ± horizontal, flat, 1–6.5 cm × 2–3 mm; rachilla persistent, wingless. |
Spikelets | 10–60, narrowly ellipsoid, quadrangular, 5–8 × 1.5–2 mm; floral scales persistent, (2–)3–7, appressed, clear at maturity, laterally reddish to purplish brown, medially greenish, often erose at maturity, laterally 3–5-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, ovate-elliptic, 2.5–3.2 × 1.8–2.1 mm, apex obtuse. |
10–40, compressed, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, quadrangular, 5–9 × 2–3 mm; floral scales deciduous, 5–20, spreading, pale greenish to reddish brown, laterally (5–)7–9(–13)-ribbed, ovate, 3–4 × 1–2 mm, apex straight, excurved mucronate, or cuspidate. |
Flowers | anthers 0.8–1 mm; styles 0.3–0.5 mm; stigmas 2–2.5 mm. |
stamens 1–2; filaments 1.5 mm; anthers 0.8–1 mm, connective apex reddish yellow, less than 0.1 mm; styles 0.8–1 mm; stigmas 1–1.2 mm. |
Achenes | brown to reddish brown, sessile, oblong-ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, slightly dorsiventrally flattened, 1.8–2 × 0.7–0.8 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces papillose to puncticulate. |
brown to reddish brown, broadly ellipsoid to obovoid, 0.8–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm, base ± cuneate, apex truncate-obtuse, surfaces puncticulate. |
Cyperus tetragonus |
Cyperus granitophilus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall (Jun–Nov). | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Open woods, thickets, barrier islands | Thin soil over outcrops of granite or sandstone of the Piedmont and inner coastal plain |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) | 50–400 m (200–1300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AZ; FL; GA; MS; NC; NM
|
AL; GA; NC; SC; TN; VA
|
Discussion | The status of Cyperus pringlei from the southwestern United States requires further study. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus granitophilus is documented as an autotetraploid derivative of C. squarrosus (L. W. Garoni and W. H. Murdy 1964). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 189. | FNA vol. 23, p. 165. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. pringlei, C. tetragonus var. pringlei, Mariscus tetragonus | |
Name authority | Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 71. (1821) | McVaugh: Castanea 2: 103, figs. 4–8. (1937) |
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