Cyperaceae - Cyperus fuscus L.

Description Plant a tufted annual; roots fibrous. Stems 4–25(–46) cm × 1.5–4 mm, triquetrous, smooth, soft. Leaves shorter than inflorescence; blade linear, 2.5–17 cm × 1–3 mm, flat, acuminate; sheath 0.3–5 cm long, rather loose, pale to mid brown, often reddish-tinged; ligule c. 1 mm. Inflorescence 0.5–2 × 0.6–2.8 cm, simple, or compound with 2–4 primary branches, 1–15 mm long and bearing capitate to umbel-like clusters of spikes; involucral bracts 3, leaf-like, 1–11 cm long, the longest exceeding the inflorescence. Spikes 4–6 mm long, broadly ovoid; spikelets 2–5 × 1.5–2 mm, 2–10 per spike, in ± sessile clusters or with a peduncle 1 mm long, oblong to lanceoloid, ± flattened, suberect to spreading; axis not winged. Glumes 1–1.5 × 0.6–1 mm, distichously arranged, imbricate, 18 or more on the longest spikelets, ovate, obtuse with a minute excurrent mucro, nerveless, dark purplish-brown with membranous sides and greenish keel. Flowers bisexual; perianth bristles 0; stamens 2; anthers 0.2–0.3 mm long, with minute connective; stigmas 3. Nuts 0.7–0.8 × 0.3–0.4 mm, narrowly obovoid, trigonous, minutely punctate, greenish- to golden-brown with paler ridges. [details]

Description Herbácea, anual, cespitosa. Tallos (2,7)6–13(52) cm, fasciculados, numerosos, rectos, trígonos. Hojas...

Description Herbácea, anual, cespitosa. Tallos (2,7)6–13(52) cm, fasciculados, numerosos, rectos, trígonos. Hojas (3,9)5,5–11,4(52) × 0,1–0,4 cm, generalmente de menor longitud que los tallos, basales, que dejan el tallo desnudo en la mayor parte de su longitud, planas, lisas o antroso-escábridas; lígula membranácea, corta; vainas basales parduscas. Inflorescencia terminal, en antela simple o compuesta, con 1–12 radios primarios de 0,1–4,5 cm, en cuyo ápice nace un fascículo de espiguillas, hasta de 7 mm de diámetro, denso, subesférico; brácteas (2)3(4) cm, planas, a veces antroso-escábridas en los márgenes, la inferior de (2,6)4–8,5(24) × 0,1–0,3 cm, de longitud mayor que la inflorescencia; espiguillas (3,4)3,8–6,2(7,2) × (0,9)1–1,5(1,8) mm, patentes, lineares-lanceoladas, comprimidas, laxas, con 14–25 flores; raquidio recto, áptero. Glumas 1,1–1,5 × 0,4–1,2 mm, dísticas, patentes, anchamente elípticas o suborbiculares, obtusas, truncadas o a veces mucronuladas, membranáceas, de color pardusco-rojizo oscuro, con una banda central verde, con 3 nervios marginales escariosos. Estambres 2, exertos en la antesis. Estilo corto, con 3 estigmas que sobresalen muy poco por encima de la gluma. Aquenios (0,8)0,9–1,0(1,1) × 0,6–0,9 mm, de longitud menor que la gluma (c. 3/4), elipsoideos, trígonos, a veces muy obtusamente, de color verdoso claro o amarillento. [details]

Description Perennials. Roots many, fibrous. Rhizomes short. Culms 1-1.5 m tall, stout, 3-angled, smooth, basally with leaves. Leaves...

Description Perennials. Roots many, fibrous. Rhizomes short. Culms 1-1.5 m tall, stout, 3-angled, smooth, basally with leaves. Leaves nearly as long as culm; sheath purplish brown, long; leaf blade 6-10 mm wide, margin scabrous. Involucral bracts 3-6, basal ones longer than inflorescence. Inflorescence a compound or decompound anthela; rays 5-10, to 18 cm, unequal in length, each with several raylets. Spikes 1-3 at raylet apex, cylindric or narrowly cylindric, 2-5 cm × 2.5-10 mm, with many spikelets. Spikelets subdistichous, densely or laxly arranged, narrowly oblong-ovoid, 2-6 × 1-1.5 mm, compressed, obliquely spreading, 4-25-flowered; rachilla wings white, linear, narrow, hyaline. Glumes dark grayish brown to yellowish brown, slightly densely imbricate, ovate, 1.5-1.6 mm, slightly shiny, 3-5-veined, keel green, apex obtuse, mucronate, and not excurved. Stamens 3; anthers linear, ca. 1 mm; connective prominent beyond anther apex. Style slender; stigmas 3. Nutlet obovoid to ellipsoid, less than 1/2 as long as subtending glume, 3-sided, smooth. [details]

Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Sp. Pl. 46 1753 to Sp. Pl. : 46 (1753), information provided by Alan...

Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Sp. Pl. 46 1753 to Sp. Pl. : 46 (1753), information provided by Alan E. on email Jun. 07 2021 More details could be found in The Plant Lis [details]

Taxonomic citation

Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Cyperus fuscus L.. Accessed at: https://www.cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1680812 on 2026-06-08

Taxonomic edit history

Date

action

2023-09-06 07:35:01Z

created

Larridon, Isabel

2024-12-10 11:47:54Z

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Licensing

The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

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Nomenclature

basis of record Plants of the World Online (POWO). , available online at https://powo.science.kew.org/ [details]

Taxonomy

taxonomy source Jermy, A.C.; Simpson, D.A.; Foley, M.J.Y.; Porter, M.S. (2007). Sedges of the British Isles. 554 pp. Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland, United Kingdom. [details] Available for editors

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taxonomy source Luceño, M., Castroviejo, S., Jiménez-Mejías, P. (2008). Cyperaceae. In: Castroviejo, Luceño, M., Galán, A., Jiménez-Mejías, P., Cabezas, F., Medina, L. (eds). Flora iberica. Plantas vasculares de la Península Ibérica e Islas Baleares. Vol. XVIII. Madrid: CSIC., available online at https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/records/item/12958-flora-iberica-vol-18-cyperaceae-pontederiaceae?offset=, http://www.floraiberica.es/PHP/familias_lista_.php?familia=Cyperaceae [details]

Other

additional source Li, B. Z.; Zhang, S. R. (2024). An updated species checklist and taxonomic synopsis of Cyperaceae in China. <em>Biodiversity Science.</em> 32(7): 24106., available online at https://doi.org/10.17520/biods.2024106 [details] Available for editors

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Present

Inaccurate

Introduced: alien

Containing type locality

From editor or global species database

Translation Annual, herbaceous, caespitose plant. Stems (2.7)6–13(52) cm tall, fasciculate, numerous, erect, trigonous. Leaves (3.9)5.5–11.4(52) × 0.1–0.4 cm, generally shorter than the stems, basal, leaving the stem naked along most of its length, flat, smooth or antrorsely scabrid; ligule membranous, short; basal sheaths brownish. Inflorescence terminal, in a simple or compound anthela, with 1–12 primary rays 0.1–4.5 cm long, bearing at the apex a fascicle of spikelets up to 7 mm in diameter, dense and subspherical; bracts (2)3(4) cm long, flat, sometimes antrorsely scabrid along the margins, the lowest (2.6)4–8.5(24) × 0.1–0.3 cm, longer than the inflorescence. Spikelets (3.4)3.8–6.2(7.2) × (0.9)1–1.5(1.8) mm, spreading, linear-lanceolate, compressed, lax-flowered, with 14–25 florets; rachilla straight, wingless. Glumes 1.1–1.5 × 0.4–1.2 mm, distichous, spreading, broadly elliptic to suborbicular, obtuse, truncate or sometimes mucronulate, membranous, dark reddish-brown, with a central green band and 3 marginal scarious nerves. Stamens 2, exserted at anthesis. Style short, with 3 stigmas scarcely protruding above the glumes. Achenes (0.8)0.9–1.0(1.1) × 0.6–0.9 mm, shorter than the glume (c. 3/4 its length), ellipsoid, trigonous, sometimes very obtuse, light green or yellowish. [details]

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