Cyperus virens |
Cyperus flavicomus |
|
---|---|---|
green flatsedge |
white-edge flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose; rhizomes 0.5–2 cm, often absent. | Herbs, annual, cespitose or single-stemmed. |
Culms | trigonous, (20–)60–70(–100) cm × 2.4–6.9 mm, scabrid on angles. |
trigonous, easily compressed, 30–75 cm × 1–5 mm, basally soft, glabrous. |
Leaves | 4–12, flat to V-shaped, with readily visible cross ribs especially on abaxial surface, 20–50 cm × 3–14 mm. |
1–3, usually withered at anthesis, V-shaped, 5–35 cm × 2–8 mm. |
Inflorescences | heads digitate to hemispheric, 1–3.5 cm diam.; rays 6–12, 1–9(–14) cm; 2d order rays often present, (0.5–)1–3 cm; 3d order rays occasionally present, 5–12 mm; bracts 4–8, horizontal to ascending at 30°, with prominent cross ribs,V-shaped, (1.5–)3–50(–75) cm × 0.5–13 mm; 2d order bracts 3–10 × 1–2 mm. |
spikes loosely ovoid, 5–25 × 8–22 mm; rays (3–)5–11, 0.4–20 cm; 2d order rays occasionally present, 5–28 mm; bracts 3–7, horizontal to ascending at 30°, (2–)8–35 cm × (1–)4–10 mm. |
Spikelets | 10–40(–50), oblong to linear-lanceoloid, 5–18 × 2–3.2 mm; floral scales 10–40, pale grayish brown, or greenish, proximally greenish or brownish, oblanceolate, 2-keeled, weakly to distinctly 1-ribbed, proximal half 2-ribbed, (1.3–)1.5–2(–2.4) × 0.9–1.4 mm, apex acute (sometimes mucronulate), apically glabrous, occasionally scabridulous. |
6–60, linear to lanceoloid, 7–30 × 2–3 mm, margins appearing serrate; floral scales 6–24, loosely overlapping, light brown to reddish brown, with conspicuous clear border, medially greenish, 5–7-ribbed, ovate-obovate, (1.4–)1.7–2.3 × 1.4–2 mm, apex acute to obtuse. |
Flowers | stamens 1–2; anthers 0.8–1.4 mm; styles 0.8–1 mm; stigmas 0.6–0.8 mm. |
stamens 2–3; anthers 0.4 mm, connective apex reddish, to 0.1 mm; styles 0.1–0.3 mm; stigmas 0.7–1.5 mm. |
Achenes | brown, slightly to distinctly stipitate, ellipsoid (2.7–4.1 times as long as wide), (0.9–)1.2–1.5 × 0.3–0.4 mm, apical beak 0.1–0.5 mm, surfaces glabrous. |
jet black to dark reddish brown, sessile, obovoid, broadly rounded, 1.2–1.6 × 0.6–1.1 mm, surfaces minutely punctate. |
Cyperus virens |
Cyperus flavicomus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting spring–fall. | Fruiting summer–early fall. |
Habitat | Wet pastures, marshes, roadside ditches | Emergent shorelines, roadsides ditches, marshes |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
|
AL; AZ; FL; GA; KY; LA; MO; MS; NC; NM; PA; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America]
|
Discussion | Cyperus virens was found as waif in California in the 1800s (M. F. Denton 1978b; G. C. Tucker 1993b). Cyperus virens is readily distinguished from other species of subg. Pycnostachys by its trigonous culms, scabrid angles, and leaves and inflorescence bracts conspicuously septate by numerous cross ribs between the main ribs. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Cyperus flavicomus has long been called C. albomarginatus (see G. C. Tucker 1994). The closely related (perhaps not distinct) C. macrostachyos Lamarck, a pantropical subspecies, has been reported from Central America; the relationship of the two species needs further study. Cyperus flavicomus has been introduced in New York; it has not persisted there (R. S. Mitchell and G. C. Tucker 1997). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 153. | FNA vol. 23, p. 159. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. albomarginatus, C. albomarginatus var. sabulosus, C. sabulosus, Pycreus albomarginatus, Pycreus sabulosus | |
Name authority | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 28. (1803) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 27. (1803) |
Web links |