''Cyperus odoratus'' is a species of
sedge
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'' wit ...
known by the common names fragrant flatsedge and rusty flatsedge. This species is quite variable and may in fact be more than one species included under one name.
Description
In general this is an annual plant approaching half a meter in height on average but known to grow much taller. It usually has some long, thin leaves around the base. 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 made up of one to several cylindrical spikes attached at a common point. Each of the spikes bears a large number of flat, oval-shaped
spikelets
A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots.
Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...
. Each spikelet is usually light brown to reddish-brown and has a few to over 20 flowers. Each flower is covered by a tough, flat
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
with a visible midvein. The fruit is a flat
achene
An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...
less than two millimeters long.
Distribution and habitat
This plant can be found in much of the tropical and warm temperate world, including South, Central, and North America, Southeast Asia, some Pacific Islands, Australia,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
, Madagascar, and central Africa.
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families](_blank)
/ref>Flora of North America, Vol. 23 Page 191, ''Cyperus odoratus'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 46. 1753.
/ref> It is a plant of wet, muddy areas, including disturbed and altered sites.
See also
* List of ''Cyperus'' species
References
External links
*
USDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
odoratus
Flora of Northern America
Flora of Southern America
Flora of Africa
Flora of Australia
Flora of Madagascar
Flora of New Guinea
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Cyperus-stub