Cyperus squarrosus
Encyclopedia
Cyperus squarrosus is a species of sedge
known by several common names, including bearded flatsedge and awned flatsedge. It is found in wet environments nearly worldwide. It is a small sedge, reaching a maximum height between 10 and 16 centimeters. There are one to three short, thin leaves around the base of the plant. The inflorescence
is a single spherical or bunched spike of up to 30 spikelets
. Each spikelet is flat and has excurved awns, meaning the tip of each of the two to eight flowers on the spikelet curls outward. The spikelets are bright green to yellowish or brown. The curved awn tips and the small size of this sedge are good identifying characteristics.
Cyperus
Cyperus is a large genus of about 600 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving water up to 0.5 m deep. The species vary greatly in size, with small species...
known by several common names, including bearded flatsedge and awned flatsedge. It is found in wet environments nearly worldwide. It is a small sedge, reaching a maximum height between 10 and 16 centimeters. There are one to three short, thin leaves around the base of the plant. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a single spherical or bunched spike of up to 30 spikelets
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
. Each spikelet is flat and has excurved awns, meaning the tip of each of the two to eight flowers on the spikelet curls outward. The spikelets are bright green to yellowish or brown. The curved awn tips and the small size of this sedge are good identifying characteristics.