''Cyperus squarrosus'' 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 several common names, including bearded flatsedge and awned flatsedge. It is found in wet environments in

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and

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, southern

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(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

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Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, etc.) and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
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Description

''Cyperus squarrosus'' is a small sedge, reaching a maximum height between . There are one to three short, thin leaves around the base of the plant. 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 a single spherical or bunched spike of up to 30

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 flat and has excurved awns, meaning the tip of each of the two to eight flowers on the spikelet curls outward. The spikelets are bright green to yellowish or brown. The curved awn tips and the small size of this sedge are good identifying characteristics.Flora of China, Vol. 23 Page 238, 具芒鳞砖子苗 ju mang lin zhuan zi miao, ''Cyperus squarrosus'' Linnaeus, Cent. Pl. 2: 6. 1756.
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References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
* squarrosus Flora of Asia Flora of Italy Flora of Africa Flora of Northern America Flora of Southern America Flora of Australia Flora of Madagascar Plants described in 1756 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Cyperus-stub