''Cyperus compressus'', commonly known as annual sedge, is a sedge of the family

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...

that has a wide distribution throughout countries with warmer climates. It is found in tropical areas of Africa, Asia and the Americas. In Europe it is commonly known as hedgehog sedge and the French know it as souchet comprimé. In India it is called mothi and in Japan it is known as kugugayatsuri.

Description

The annual sedge typically grows to a height of and has a tufted habit. It blooms between May and December and produces green-yellow-brown flowers. The erect and glabrous grass has fine and numerous roots. It as slender or rigidulous, trigonous stems that are thick. Red-purple, loose, open leaf sheaths cover the base of the plant with the leaves being much sorter than the stems. The leaves are greyish-green in colour with a narrowly linear shape and a width of . The

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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is composed of umbellate spikes, with three to four rays hat are up to in length. Following flowering it will form a dark brown to black trigonous nut that has a broad-obovoid shape. The nut is about in length with a diameter of about .

Taxonomy

The species was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1753 as a part of the work ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...

''. It has 11

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

including ''Cyperus brachiatus'', ''Cyperus caffer'', ''Cyperus giraudyi '', ''Cyperus meyenii'' and ''Cyperus pectiniformis''.

Distribution

It has a wide distribution throughout tropical and sub tropical parts of Asia, especially in India, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines. It is found through much of Africa from Egypt to Zimbabwe. In the Americas it is found in the southern USA, Honduras, Costa Rica and Suriname as well as northern parts of South America. It is also found in Fiji and New Guinea. It is a pantropical species, mostly found in moist places such as irrigated fields, ditches, stream beds, pond margins and lawns. It grows in many soil types usually sandy or alluvial and clay soils. It has become introduced in many areas, in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

it is found in damp areas in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region. It is also found in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1024017 Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus compressus Flora of Western Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Afghanistan Flora of Alabama Flora of Angola Flora of Arkansas Flora of Assam (region) Flora of Bangladesh Flora of Belize Flora of Benin Flora of Bolivia Flora of Borneo Flora of Botswana Flora of Brazil Flora of Burkina Faso Flora of Cambodia Flora of Cameroon Flora of Cape Verde Flora of the Central African Republic Flora of China Flora of Colombia Flora of Costa Rica Flora of Cuba Flora of Delaware Flora of the Dominican Republic Flora of Ecuador Flora of Egypt Flora of El Salvador Flora of Ethiopia Flora of Florida Flora of French Guiana Flora of Gabon Flora of the Gambia Flora of Georgia (U.S. state) Flora of Ghana Flora of Guatemala Flora of Guyana Flora of Hainan Flora of Haiti Flora of Honduras Flora of Illinois Flora of India Flora of Ivory Coast Flora of Jamaica Flora of Japan Flora of Java Flora of Kentucky Flora of Kenya Flora of Korea Flora of Laos Flora of Liberia Flora of Louisiana Flora of Madagascar Flora of Malawi Flora of Mali Flora of Maryland Flora of Mauritius Flora of Mexico Flora of Mississippi Flora of Missouri Flora of Mozambique Flora of Myanmar Flora of Namibia Flora of Nepal Flora of New Guinea Flora of New Mexico Flora of New York (state) Flora of Nicaragua Flora of Nigeria Flora of North Carolina Flora of Ohio Flora of Pakistan Flora of Panama Flora of Pennsylvania Flora of Peru Flora of the Philippines Flora of Puerto Rico Flora of Samoa Flora of Senegal Flora of Seychelles Flora of Sierra Leone Flora of South Carolina Flora of Somalia Flora of Sri Lanka Flora of Sudan Flora of Sulawesi Flora of Sumatra Flora of Suriname Flora of Swaziland Flora of Taiwan Flora of Tanzania Flora of Thailand Flora of Texas Flora of Tibet Flora of Togo Flora of Tonga Flora of Trinidad Flora of Uganda Flora of Venezuela Flora of Vietnam Flora of Virginia Flora of Zambia Flora of Zimbabwe Flora of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Description

Taxonomy

Distribution

See also

References