Cyperus iria
ricefield flatsedge
Family
Cyperaceae
Leaf Arrangement
basal (rosulate)
Leaf Type
cauline, simple
Leaf Shape
linear
Growth Form
graminoid
Flower Color
inconspicuous
Flower Month
July - October
Height (meters)
0.1 - 0.6
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
introduced
Lifespan
annual
Growing Season
Warm season
Wetland Class
FACW
Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism
0
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
-1
Field Characters
A weedy, tufted, annual sedge with short leaves crowded near the base. Several very long bracts subtend the inflorescence at a 45 degree angle. The axis of its spikes persist after the achenes and floral scales have fallen off. Floral scales apically rounded with a thin hyaline margin.
Cultural Information
Freshly harvested seeds are often dormant. Germination improves with after-ripining at room temperature for 2-3 months (Justice 1957).
Habitat
Marshes, swamps, ditches, low waste places, wet clay in rice growing regions.