Cyperus virens |
Cyperus floribundus |
|
---|---|---|
green flatsedge |
Rio Grande sedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose; rhizomes 0.5–2 cm, often absent. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. |
Culms | trigonous, (20–)60–70(–100) cm × 2.4–6.9 mm, scabrid on angles. |
trigonous, basally tuberous thickened, 15–40 cm × 1–2.5 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | 4–12, flat to V-shaped, with readily visible cross ribs especially on abaxial surface, 20–50 cm × 3–14 mm. |
flat to V-shaped, 10–30 cm × 1–2 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. |
spike 1, densely oblong to ellipsoid, 8–36 × 8–20 mm; rays 4–12, 10–20 cm; bracts 3–6, horizontal to ascending at 30°, V-shaped, 3–15 cm × (3–)4–5.8 mm; rachilla deciduous, wings 0.5–0.7 mm wide. |
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. |
(5–)20–35(–60), linear to oblong, quadrangular; 4–12(–21) × 0.7–1.2 mm, base narrowed to 0.4–1 mm; floral scales persistent, 1–3(–5), appressed, laterally whitish to reddish brown, stramineous with reddish spots, medially green, laterally 3–6-ribbed (midrib distinctly scabrid at 30X), narrowly oblong to ovate, 2.6–4.8 × 1.6–2 mm; apex rounded to ± acute, entire, with mucro 0.3–0.5 mm; sterile terminal scale involute, 0.4–0.6 mm wide, uncinate; distal floral scales with cusp 0.6–1.9. |
Flowers | stamens 1–2; anthers 0.8–1.4 mm; styles 0.8–1 mm; stigmas 0.6–0.8 mm. |
anthers 0.5–1.3 mm; styles 0.4–0.5 mm; stigmas 0.5–0.9 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. |
light brown to reddish brown, sessile to slightly stipitate, narrowly ellipsoid, 1.8–2.4 × 0.6–0.8 mm, apex slightly apiculate, surfaces puncticulate. |
Cyperus virens |
Cyperus floribundus |
|
Phenology | Fruiting spring–fall. | Fruiting mid summer–early fall (Jul–Sep). |
Habitat | Wet pastures, marshes, roadside ditches | Damp, disturbed soils, croplands |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
|
TX; Mexico |
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.) |
Included previously in Cyperus retroflexus (or its synonym C. uniflorus), C. floribundus has a much narrower geographic range (southern Texas and northeastern Mexico) and differs in features of spikelet morphology (J. R. Carter and S. D. Jones 1997). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 153. | FNA vol. 23. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. uniflorus var. floribundus, C. uniflorus | |
Name authority | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 28. (1803) | (Kükenthal) J. Rich. Carter & S. D. Jones: Rhodora 99: 330. (1998) |
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