''Cyperus difformis'' is a species of

sedge The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...

known by several common names, including variable flatsedge, smallflower umbrella-sedge and rice sedge. This plant is native to southern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, most of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and it is naturalized in other areas of the world, including large parts of the Americas.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> ''Cyperus difformis'' is a plant of aquatic and moist habitats. It is a weed of rice fields, but not generally a troublesome one. This is an annual herb with one to many thin, soft erect stems reaching over 30 centimeters in maximum height. There are usually a few long, wispy leaves around the base of the plant. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a rounded bundle one to three centimeters wide, containing up to 120 spikelets, each long and partially or entirely covered in up to 30

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

ed flowers. The flowers are light brown with areas darker brown and sometimes a yellowish or purplish tint.Flora of North America, Vol. 23 Page 156, ''Cyperus difformis'' Linnaeus, Cent. Pl. II. 6. 1756.
/ref>

Similar Species

''C. difformis'' can be distinguished from most visually similar species by the small size of the glumes, 0.5-0.7 x 0.5 mm, resembling tiny slightly elongated blunt beads.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment

Photo gallery''Cyperus difformis'' occurrence data
from

GBIF The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around the ...

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2589999 difformis Freshwater plants Plants described in 1756 Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Flora of Africa Flora of Australia Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus