Cyperus involucratus

Rottbøll

Descr. Pl. Rar., 22. 1772.

Common names: Umbrella-plant
IntroducedIllustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 150. Mentioned on page 143, 151.

Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rhizomatous. Culms trigonous, 30–150 cm × 1–5(–8) mm. Leaves bladeless. Inflorescences: heads digitate, 15–30(–36) mm diam.; rays (14–)20–22, (2–)5–12(–20) cm; 2d order rays 0.3–3(–4) cm; 3d order rays sometimes present, 0.3–2.5 cm; bracts (4–)18–22, ± horizontal, flat, 15–27 cm × (1.5–)8–12 mm. Spikelets 8–20, ovoid to linear-lanceoloid, compressed, 5–25 × 1.5–2 mm; floral scales 8–28, laterally whitish or light brown, ± hyaline, medially light brown, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, 2-keeled in proximal 30–60%, deltate-ovate, 1.6–2.4 × (1–)1.2–1.5(–1.7) mm, apex acute. Flowers: stamens 3; anthers 0.7–1 mm; styles 0.5–1 mm; stigmas 0.6–1 mm. Achenes brown, sessile or stipitate, broadly ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 × 0.4–0.6 mm, stipe if present to 0.1 mm, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces puncticulate.


Phenology: Fruiting early summer–fall.
Habitat: Damp, disturbed soils, ditches, stream banks
Elevation: 0–100(–800) m

Distribution

V23 227-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Calif., Fla., La., Tex., e Africa.

Discussion

Cyperus involucratus has been collected in New York (R. S. Mitchell and G. C. Tucker 1997).

Cyperus involucratus is widely cultivated as a water plant in greenhouses and outdoors in warm-temperate or tropical climates. It has long been misidentified in the flora as C. alternifolius Linnaeus, an endemic of Madagascar (G. C. Tucker 1983).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Cyperus involucratus"
Gordon C. Tucker* +, Brian G. Marcks* +  and J. Richard Carter * +
Rottbøll +
Umbrella-plant +
Calif. +, Fla. +, La. +, Tex. +  and e Africa. +
0–100(–800) m +
Damp, disturbed soils, ditches, stream banks +
Fruiting early summer–fall. +
Descr. Pl. Rar., +
Introduced +  and Illustrated +
Cyperus subg. Protocyperus +
Cyperus involucratus +
Cyperus subg. Pycnostachys +
species +