Cyperus virens |
Cyperus schweinitzii |
|
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green flatsedge |
sand flatsedge, Schweinitz's flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, cespitose; rhizomes 0.5–2 cm, often absent. | Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous. |
Culms | trigonous, (20–)60–70(–100) cm × 2.4–6.9 mm, scabrid on angles. |
trigonous, (10–)20–50 cm × (0.6–)1–2 mm, glabrous or more often scabridulous, either in distal 1/2 or over entire length; basal sheaths, 1–3, light brown, 1–4 cm, papery. |
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, (2–)20–35 cm × 2–6 mm, margins and keel minutely scabridulous; proximal leaves bladeless. |
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 ± umbellate to slenderly (infrequently broadly) ovoid, 10–25 × 7–16 mm; rays 3–5, 1.5–8(–15) cm; bracts 3–7, erect (or declined at most 25–30° from vertical), (2.5–)8–20(–25) cm × (0.5–)1.5–6 mm; rachilla ± deciduous, wingless. |
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. |
(1–)5–10(–20), oblong to linear-oblong, quadrangular, 7–10(–18) × (2.8–)3.2–4(–4.5) mm; floral scales deciduous, (1–)5–10(–14), spreading, laterally stramineous or dull whitish, sometimes also red-spotted, medially green, laterally 2–3-ribbed, medially 3-ribbed, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, (2.3–)2.8–3.2 × (2–)2.4–3.2 mm, apex broadly rounded, often clear-erose, cusp 0.1–0.4 mm in proximal scales, 0.3–1 mm in distal scales. |
Flowers | stamens 1–2; anthers 0.8–1.4 mm; styles 0.8–1 mm; stigmas 0.6–0.8 mm. |
anthers 0.8–1.4 mm; styles 0.1–0.3 mm; stigmas 1.5–3 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 to dark brown or nearly black, broadly ellipsoid, infrequently obovoid, 2–2.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, base cuneate to ± stipelike, apex obtuse to broadly rounded, surfaces papillose. |
2n | = 166. |
|
Cyperus virens |
Cyperus schweinitzii |
|
Phenology | Fruiting spring–fall. | Fruiting late spring–early summer. |
Habitat | Wet pastures, marshes, roadside ditches | Riverbanks, sand bars, lakeshores, sand dunes, sandy openings in woods |
Elevation | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
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CO; IA; IL; KY; MA; MI; MN; MO; MT; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TX; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; MB; ON; QC; SK; Mexico (Coahuila)
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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 schweinitzii is introduced, but not naturalized, in Massachusetts and Washington. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 153. | FNA vol. 23, p. 174. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Cyperus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. alterniflorus | |
Name authority | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 28. (1803) | Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 3: 276. (1836) |
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