Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Cyperus odoratus
Rusty nut sedge, Rusty flatsedge
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Cyperus engelmanii, Cyperus ferruginescens, Cyperus engelmannii

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
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F
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M
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A
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M
0
J
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J
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A
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S
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O
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N
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D
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:There are many synonyms and described varieties for this worldwide species.

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Monocot, annual

Roots: adventitious, fibrous

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Parallel leaf venation; awl-shaped leaf shape

Inflorescence: spike, head

Flowers: perfect; 3 merous; incomplete, not petals, not sepals; hypogynous ovary position

Fruit: achene

Physiology: autotrophic

Reproduction: sexual

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed on wet ground. Species is distributed on muddy margins of mudflats, banks, alluvium of the larger streams and rivers, margins of sloughs, oxbows, occasionally along railroads often with C. erythrorhizos. Also in areas of high salt content, such as interstates and tollways.

ILPIN Notes: This is a coarse annual. Spikelets are characteristic. They have up to 18 dististichous flowers that barely overlap, and so have a strongly zig-zag outline to their overall linear form. Species is widely scattered in Illinois. Type locality along Cahokia Creek, St. Clair county; Rukenthal claims this is part of C. ferax (ref. 8); Specific epithet is also spelled engelmannii (ref. 7). Species is scattered throughout Illinois. Habitat is subject to frequent inundation, which produces peculiar shortened plants with long spikelets, the spikelets with long, loosely spreading scales. This is coarse in aspect. Its sublate scales distinguish this from Cyperus esculentus.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae: no
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 7
  • Chicago Area: 6

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