EcoFlora - Cyperus

Cyperus
Family: Cyperaceae Max Licher	FNA Gleason & Cronquist Resources Gordon C. Tucker, Brian G. Marcks & J. Richard Carter * in Flora of North America (vol. 23) Herbs, perennial or less often annual, cespitose or not, rhizomatous, stoloniferous, rarely tuberous. Culms solitary or not, trigonous or round, glabrous or scabridulous with extrorse or antrorse (rarely retrorse) prickles. Leaves usually basal; ligules absent; blades keeled abaxially, flat, V-, or inversely W-shaped in cross section. Inflorescences terminal, rarely pseudolateral, 1st order subumbellate to capitate, 2d order with spicate or digitately arranged spikelets, rarely a solitary spikelet; spikelets 1-150; 1st order rays unequal (rarely equal) in length, produced singly from the axils of inflorescence bracts; involucral bracts 1-22, spirally arranged at culm apex, spreading to erect, leaflike. Spikelets: scales to 76, distichous, each subtending flower, cylindric to compressed, borne spicately or digitately at ends of rays (occasionally proliferous). Flowers bisexual [rarely unisexual], in axils of distichous floral scales, bases often decurrent onto rachilla as ± hyaline wings; perianth absent; stamens 1-3; styles linear, 2-3-fid, base deciduous or persistent; stigmas 2-3. Achenes biconvex, flattened, or trigonous. Vascular plants of NE US and adjacent Canada Scales distichous, the lowermost one empty and ±modified; fls perfect, each in the axil of a scale; perianth wanting; stamens 3, less often 1 or 2; style 2-3- cleft, the beakless (or nearly beakless) achene accordingly lenticular or ±trigonous; spikelets few-many in dense or loose spikes or heads, each subtended by 2 small bracts; spikes or heads commonly in a simple or compound terminal umbel that is subtended by sheathless, leafy invol bracts; each ray of the umbel surrounded at base by a tubular prophyll; herbs with solid, ±triangular stems, the lvs with closed sheath and usually an elongate, grasslike blade. 600+, cosmop. Our spp. belong to 5 subgenera, as in the following key. Spp. 14-22 and 23-28 appear to be intergradient, presumably reflecting extensive hybridization. Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp. ©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Species within checklist: FFA Career Development \|\| << 1 - 50 taxa >> Cyperus acuminatus Map not Available Cyperus acutiusculus Map not Available Cyperus aethiops Media not available Map not Available Cyperus affinis Map not Available Cyperus afroalpinus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus afrodunensis Media not available Map not Available Cyperus afromontanus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus afrorobustus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus afrovaricus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus aggregatus Map not Available Cyperus ajax Map not Available Cyperus alatus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus albescens Map not Available Cyperus albopurpureus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus albostriatus Map not Available Cyperus alopecuroides Map not Available Cyperus alterniflorus Map not Available Cyperus alternifolius Map not Available Cyperus altochrysocephalus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus altomicroglumis Media not available Map not Available Cyperus amabilis Map not Available Cyperus amauropus Map not Available Cyperus amuricus Map not Available Cyperus anderssonii Map not Available Cyperus andinus Map not Available Cyperus andreanus Map not Available Cyperus angolensis Map not Available Cyperus antillanus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus apricus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus arenarius Map not Available Cyperus aristulatus Map not Available Cyperus aromaticus Map not Available Cyperus arsenei Map not Available Cyperus articulatus Map not Available Cyperus aschenbornianus Map not Available Cyperus ascocapensis Media not available Map not Available Cyperus assimilis Map not Available Cyperus aster Media not available Map not Available Cyperus aterrimus Map not Available Cyperus atractocarpus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus aucheri Media not available Map not Available Cyperus auratus Map not Available Cyperus aureoalatus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus aureospicatus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus auriculatus Map not Available Cyperus austrochrysanthus Media not available Map not Available Cyperus autumnalis Map not Available Cyperus badius Map not Available Cyperus baldwinii Map not Available Cyperus baoulensis Map not Available