''Cyperus javanicus'', also known as the Javanese flatsedge, 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 is native to Indonesia and Australia.

Description

The

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

glaucous perennial sedge typically grows to a height of and has a tufted habit. The plant blooms between January and August producing brown flowers. The culms are obtusely trigonous and densely papillose. The leaves are long and flat on top while folded at the base and around in width. The compound

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 ...

s have between six and twelve primary rays which are up to 8 cm in length./>

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Martinus Houttuyn Maarten Houttuyn or Houttuijn (1720 – 2 May 1798) Latinised as Martinus Houttuyn, was a Dutch naturalist. Houttuyn was born in Hoorn, studied medicine in Leiden and moved to Amsterdam in 1753. He published many books on natural history, e.g. ...

in 1782 in the work ''Natuurlijke Histoire of Uitvoerige Beschryving der Dieren, Planten en Mineraalen''. Several synonyms have been described including: ''Cyperus pennatus'' Lam. in 1791, ''Cyperus canescens''

Vahl Vahl is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Christian-Friedrich Vahl (born 1955), German cardiac surgeon *Emanuel Vahl (born 1938), Ukrainian-Israeli composer * Herbert-Ernst Vahl, German SS general *Jens Vahl (1796–1854), Danish ...

in 1805, ''Cyperus javanicus'' subsp. ''armstrongii'' Dunlop in 1987, ''Mariscus pennatus'' (Lam.) Domin in 1915, ''Cyperus ventricosus'' R.Br. in 1810 and ''Mariscus albescens'' Gaudich. in 1829.

Distribution

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 beside pools and along streams and rivers 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 where it grows in sandy-clay soils. The species is also endemic to 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 ...

and north east

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_ ...

and the

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

. It is also native to the islands north of Australia including

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is East Timor–Indonesia border, divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western p ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. The species has also been introduced into

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and islands in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

basin.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3008826 Plants described in 1782 Flora of Western Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of the Northern Territory javanicus Taxa named by Martinus Houttuyn

Description

Taxonomy

Distribution

See also

References