FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Unfortunately, this species is highly variable. Look for elongated achenes rounded on both sides. Identification of Cyperus to species requires examination of fruits and mature achenes (containing a single seed).
Description: A clumping, perennial, grass-like sedge with triangular stems and long, thin spikelets. Grows 15 to 30 cm tall.
Leaves: Basal, narrow linear leaves.
Flowers/Fruit: Densely packed seedheads with long spikelets. Inflorescences located at ends of stems, with flattened spikelets usually in pairs or groups. Seeds in a folded scale, unlike Carex.
Habit and Range: Sunny shores, ditches, brackish marshes. Most common in the Coastal Plain but also found in the Piedmont.
COMMON CONFUSIONS:
Cyperus polystachyos (many-spike flatsedge) is similar to C. flavescens (yellow flatsedge) which has spikelets all in one tight cluster and flattened, rounded, lens-shaped achenes. C. polystachyos is also similar to C. compressus (poorland flatsedge) which has spikelets all in one tight cluster and dark brown, three-angled achenes. C. polystachyos is similar to C. filicinus (fern flatsedge), which is also a shorter sedge (often less than 15 cm) that grows only in the outer Coastal Plain and has more ovoid achenes and longer scales.
Click here to view Cyperus compressus.
Click here to view Cyperus flavescens.
Link to side-by-side comparisons page
