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- Cyperus esculentus
Cyperus esculentus — nut flatsedge
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Facts
Nut flatsedge is a widespread native that prefers human-disturbed soils. Native Americans used the roots of nut flatsedge as food and as a remedy for colds, coughs, and snakebites.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Leaf blade width
- 2–6.5 mm
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is like a seed, and surrounded by scales
- Fruit length
- 1.1–1.6 mm
- Leaf position on plant
- the attachment points of all the leaves are at or near the base of the plant
- Perianth composition
- there is no perianth on the plant
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 1–2.1 mm
- Floral bristle color
- NA
- Floral bristle number
- 0
- Floral bristle relative length
- NA
- Floral bristles
- NA
- Floral scale hairs
- there are no hairs on the floral scales
- Floral scale length
- 1.8–3.4 mm
- Floral scale nerves
- 7 or more
- Floral scale shape
-
- the floral scales are lanceolate (widest below the middle, and tapering at both ends)
- the floral scales are ovate (roughly egg-shaped)
- Floral scale translucent
- the floral scales are opaque
- Flower number per cluster
-
- 5-20
- more than 20
- Inflorescence bract angle
- the bracts are angled outwards near horizontal or reflexed downwards
- Inflorescence bract number
-
- there are six or more bracts per inflorescence
- there are two to five bracts per inflorescence
- Inflorescence bract position (Sparganium)
- NA
- Inflorescence bracts
- there are at least two bracts, and they are either flat or folded or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Inflorescence crowding
- the inflorescence is at least somewhat spread out, with at least one branch coming from the main stem
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence shape
- the aggregations within the inflorescence are at least somewhat flattened in cross-section
- Inflorescence type
- there are two or more flowers, spikes or flower clusters on a branched inflorescence
- Perianth composition
- there is no perianth on the plant
- Stamen number
- 3
- Stigma number
- 3
- Style division
- the top two thirds of the style is divided
- floral bristle barbs
- NA
- plantlets budding at flower bases
- no
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene beak length
- 0 mm
- Achene surface texture
- the achene has very obvious pits or depressions on it
- Achene tubercle relative width
- NA
- Achene tubercle width
- 0 mm
- Capsule relative length
- NA
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 1.1–1.6 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is like a seed, and surrounded by scales
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, seed-like fruit) without a tubercle (a swelling or projection, usually of a different color or texture)
- Locules in capsule
- NA
- Seed length
- 0 mm
- Seed tail relative length
- 0 mm
- Seed tails
- NA
- Tubercle height
- 0 mm
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs or tubers
-
Leaves
- Auricle length
- 0 mm
- Auricle texture
- NA
- Auricles
- there are no auricles on the leaf sheath
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Leaf blade length
- 60–800 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 2–6.5 mm
- Leaf form
- all the leaves hold their form out of water
- Leaf position on plant
- the attachment points of all the leaves are at or near the base of the plant
- Leaf septa
- the leaf blades do not have transverse septa
- Leaf sheath hairs
- the leaf sheathes are without hairs
- Pedicel length (Typha)
- 0 mm
- Stem leaf blade ligules
- there are no ligules at the leaf blade bases
- Stem leaf blades
- there are fully-developed leaves with leaf blades on the main stem
- Width of seed-producing inflorescence
- 12–35 mm
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 15–100 cm
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Stem texture near tip
- the stem feels smooth near the tip
- Stem thickness at midpoint
- 0.6–3.4 mm
Wetland status
Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
var. esculentus
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
Subspecies and varieties
Our variety is Cyperus esculentus L. var. leptostachyus Boeck.
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
7. Cyperus esculentus L. var. leptostachyus Boeck. N
nut flatsedge. Cyperus esculentus L. var. angustispicatus Britt.; C. tuberosus Pursh • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Open, often human-disturbed, soil such as fields, roadsides, and waste areas.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Cyperus strigosus:
- floral scales mostly 3.5-4.5 mm long and with a keel, the plants lacking well-developed rhizomes (vs. C. esculentus, with floral scales 2.3-3 mm long and without an evident keel, the plants with long, slender rhizomes that end in a tuber).
Synonyms
- Cyperus esculentus var. angustispicatus Britt.
- Cyperus tuberosus Pursh