Cyperus erythrorhizos

Cyperus erythrorhizos
University of Mississippi Field Station
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Cyperus
Species:
C. erythrorhizos
Binomial name
Cyperus erythrorhizos
Synonyms[2]
Homotypic synonyms
    • Chlorocyperus erythrorhizus (Muhl.) Palla
Heterotypic synonyms
    • Cyperus chrysokerkos Steud.
    • Cyperus cupreus J.Presl & C.Presl
    • Cyperus erythrorhizos var. cupreus (J.Presl & C.Presl) Kük.
    • Cyperus erythrorhizos var. halei (Torr. ex Britton) Kük.
    • Cyperus erythrorhizos var. infirmus (Boeckeler) Kük.
    • Cyperus halei Torr. ex Britton
    • Cyperus infirmus Boeckeler
    • Cyperus occidentalis Torr.
    • Cyperus spiculatus Alph.Wood
    • Cyperus tenuiflorus Elliott
    • Cyperus washingtonensis Gand.

Cyperus erythrorhizos, also known as red-rooted flatsedge or redroot flatsedge, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae. It is native to North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico. It has bright red roots, a distinctive feature not found in any other North American flatsedge. Both the scientific name and the common name emphasize this fact.

Description

Cyperus erythrorhizos is an annual sedge with red fibrous roots. It grows to a maximum of a meter in height but is usually quite a bit shorter. It may have a number of long, wispy leaves around the base of the plant. The inflorescence may contain one to several spikes, each spike containing 20 to over 100 spikelets. Each spikelet is light greenish brown to reddish brown and is made up of up to 30 bracted flowers. The fruit is a glossy achene about a millimetre long.[3]

Taxonomy

Cyperus erythrorhizos was named and described by the American botanist Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg in 1817.[1] In his description, Muhlenberg emphasized the plant's red fibrous roots.[4] As of February 2026, the botanical name Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl. is widely accepted.[2][5][6][7][8]

Distribution and habitat

Cyperus erythrorhizos is native to North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico.[3] It is most common in the United States.[9][10] It was discovered in Vermont in 2014.[11] In Canada, it occurs in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.[6] In Mexico, it was initially discovered in Baja California near the U.S. border based on a specimen collected in 1894.[12] It was subsequently found in the state of Tabasco in southern Mexico.[13][14][15] It is a plant of wet areas such as rivers and ditches, generally at low elevations. Its season runs from July to December.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b Tucker, Gordon C.; Marcks, Brian G.; Carter, J. Richard (2002). "Cyperus erythrorhizos". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 23. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 12 February 2026 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. ^ Muhlenberg (1817), p. 20.
  5. ^ "Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl.". WFO Plant List. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhlenberg". Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  7. ^ NRCS. "Cyperus erythrorhizos". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl.". eFloraMEX. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  9. ^ Kartesz, John T. (2014). "Cyperus erythrorhizos". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  10. ^ Kartesz, John T. (2014). "Cyperus erythrorhizos". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  11. ^ Gilman, A. V.; Doucette, E. T.; Engstrom, B.; Marcus, A.; Peters, M. J. (2020). "Additions to the New Flora of Vermont—II" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 2020–16: 1–17. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  12. ^ Tucker (1994), pp. 106–107.
  13. ^ Novelo, A. & L. Ramos. 2005. Vegetación acuática. Cap. 5: 111–144. In J. Bueno, F Álvarez & S. Santiago. Biodiversidad del Estado de Tabasco. CONABIO-UNAM, México.
  14. ^ Pérez J., L. A., M. Sousa Sánchez, A. M. Hanan-Alipi, F. Chiang Cabrera & P. Tenorio L. 2005. Vegetación terrestre. 65–110. In J. Bueno, F Álvarez & S. Santiago. Biodiversidad del Estado de Tabasco. CONABIO-UNAM, México.
  15. ^ Espejo Serna, A. & López-Ferrari, A.R. (1997). Las Monocotiledóneas Mexicanas una Sinopsis Florística 5: 1-98. Consejo Nacional de la Flora de México, México D.F.
  16. ^ "Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhlenberg". Flora of the Southeastern United States. Retrieved 13 February 2026.

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cyperus erythrorhizos.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.