Home → Communities, Plants, and Animals → Rare Plants → Cyperus erythrorhizos
Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl.
Red-root Flat Sedge
- State Rank: SH
- Global Rank: G5
- State Status: Potentially Extirpated
Habitat: Alluvial or damp sandy soil, streambanks, shorelines, and wet areas. Though often on sandy substrate, Cyperus erythrorhizos is occasionally on mucky or peaty substrate.
Range: Southern New England, New York, Ontario, and North Dakota, south to Arkansas, Texas, and Arizona.
Aids to Identification: Members of this genus can be difficult to identify without careful examination of microscopic features and an overall knowledge of the group. Cyperus species are identified by their 2-ranked scales of spikes, triangular stems, terminal inflorescences, and styles deciduous from the achene. Cyperus erythrorhizos is a stout annual with red roots.
Phenology: Flowers August to October.
Family: Cyperaceae
Synonyms: Cyperus halei Torr. ex Britt.
Known Distribution in Maine: This rare plant has been documented from a total of 1 town(s) in the following county(ies): York. There is a single documented occurrence of Cyperus erythrorhizos in Maine from Appledore Island, collected in 1981.
Dates of documented observations are: 1981
