Cyperus haspan L.

Cyperaceae, Miss S. S. Hooper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:2. 1972

Morphology General Habit

Tufted perennial

Morphology Stem

Weak angular stems

Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths

Purple sheaths

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Two unequal bracts

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

A spreading inflorescence with near linear spikelets in groups of 1–3

Ecology

Open, moist places.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

Cyperaceae, K Hoenselaar, B. Verdcourt & H. Beentje. Hypolytrum, D Simpson. Fuirena, M Muasya. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2010

Type

Type: Sri Lanka [Ceylon], Hermann 2: 43, No. 37 (BM–000621657, lecto., chosen by McGivney in Biol. Ser. Catholic Univ. Amer. 26: 45 (1938))

Morphology General Habit

Perennial 15–60(–90) cm tall, with short sometimes creeping rhizome.

Morphology Roots

Roots reddish.

Morphology Culms

Culms pale to bright green, crowded, 0.8–2.5 mm wide, trigonous or triangular, smooth, glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves with leaf sheath reddish-brown or purple, 1–11 cm long. Leaf blade present at least at some shoots, pale to bright green, linear, slightly v-shaped, 5–22(–33) cm long, 1.5–4.5 mm wide, attenuate, glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Involucral bracts leaf-like, spreading or semi-erect or erect, 1–3, lowermost up to 7(–12) cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a simple to compound anthela, primary branches 1–10, 1–7 cm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets in sessile digitate clusters, at the end of primary and secondary branches, 2–9 per cluster, narrowly ovoid to cylindrical, 7–15(–30)flowered, 3–12 × 1–3 mm, with straight rachis.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes light to dark brown or reddish-brown to almost black, ovate, 1.3–2.8 × 0.9–1.3 mm, keel pale green, slightly excurrent, margin sometimes pale green

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 3.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers sulphuryellow, 0.7–1.2 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments

Filaments white, 1.5–1.9 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Styles white

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Nutlet greyish-brown, ellipsoid, obovoid or almost orbicular, 0.5–1 mm long, 0.3–0.8 mm wide, irregularly tuberculate when mature

Figures

Fig. 30, p206

Ecology

Swampy or marshy sites, wet hollows, seasonally wet grassland, areas of impeded drainage, thin seepage soil over rock; occasionally in silty sites; 0–2700(–?3000) m

Conservation

Least concern due to its common habitat and wide distribution.

Note

Polhill & Paulo 1581 states ‘occasionally rooting from the inflorescence if arched over”. Haines and Lye classified C. phaeorhizus as a synonym of C. denudatus, but did not explain why. Although the two are similar, there are significant differences between them: denudatus lacks proper leaf blades and has very narrow spikelets, whereas C. phaeorhizus does have distinctive leaf blades, and the spikelets are wider through glumes spreading during maturing of the nutlet. The material formerly named as C. kipasensis was said, by Haines & Lye, to be close to denudatus and haspan, but with stolons and a light brown inflorescence. But haspan can have stolons as well, at least just like the only East African cited specimen ( Kahurananga et al. 2758!) - for instance Polhill & Paulo 1581, Wingfield 891, Milne-Redhead & Taylor 11073; and there is no difference inflorescence colour, either. I (HB) am putting this particular specimen in C. haspan. Plants without the rhizome and a more short-lived look are referred to C. foliaceus, which might only be a form of C. haspan. See Kartesz & Gandhi in Phytologia 72: 19 (1992) for a discussion on the spelling of haspan vs. halpan. They conclude it should be haspan, as does Wilson in Telopea 5: 598 (1994). Schumann, in his protologue, says C. phaeorhizus “is related to C. haspan L. but easily distinguishable by the few-flowered black spikelets and the red-brown roots.” The “black” spikelets of the type are dark brown, and spikelet colour in haspan sensu stricto can be pale brown, red-brown or dark brown. The red-brown roots occur in specimens with any of these colours of spikelet. The “few-flowered” is specified in the protologue as 8–12 per spikelet; I have seen dark brown spikelets with a range of 8–15 flowers in a single plant, pale brown spikelets with a range of 6–13 flowers, all from the same area in Iringa District; from Tarangire in Mbulu District (not too far from Kilimanjaro) come spikelets with a range of 7–30 flowers. I do not believe phaeorhizus can be kept distinct from haspan, as it is just a colour form with rather few flowers per spikelet, with no qualitative differences, and I hereby unite the two.

Distribution

Flora districts: U1 U2 U3 U4 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 Z Range: Widespread in Africa, Asia and the Americas

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 65 - 2551 m.; Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Orinoquia, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Hierba, acuática

Conservation

Preocupación Menor

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial herb without or with a very short rhizome

Morphology Stem

Stems usually crowded, 5–40 cm long and 0.8–2.5 mm thick, triangular, green, glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades present at least on some shoots, up to 20 cm long and 1–4 mm wide; leaf-sheaths light to dark reddish brown, glabrous, often with undulate margin and orifice

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a lax anthela 2–15 cm in diam.; major involucral bract leafy, 1.5–7 cm long, usually shorter than the inflorescence; largest inflorescence-branches 1–7 cm long, carrying 1 sessile and a subumbel-like group of digitately arranged spikelets

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets

Spikelets 3–12 x 1–1.5 mm, linear-lanceolate, light reddish brown

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume

Glumes 1.3–1.6 mm long, reddish brown with a paler midrib which is excurrent in a short straight mucro

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style 3-branched

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Nutlet 0.5–0.6 x 0.3–0.4 mm, obovate or subspherical, greyish brown, irregularly papillose.

Distribution

S2, 3 widespread in the Old World tropics.

Ecology

Atitude below 100 m.

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

chandur, cortadera, paja de pantano

J. Browning, K.D. Gordon-Gray†, M. Lock, H. Beentje, K. Vollesen, K. Bauters, C. Archer, I. Larridon, M. Xanthos, P. Vorster, J. Bruhl, K. Wilson and X. Zhang (2020). Flora Zambesiaca Volume: 14: Cyperaceae. M.Á. García, J.R. Timberlake (Eds). Kew Publish

Type

Sri Lanka [Ceylon], Hermann 2: 43, No. 37 (BM lectotype), lectotypified by McGivney (1938).

Morphology General Habit

Perennial 15–60(90) cm tall, with short sometimes creeping rhizome; roots reddish; culms pale to bright green, crowded, 0.8–2.5 mm wide, trigonous or triangular, smooth, glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves with leaf sheath reddish-brown or purple, 1–11 cm long; leaf blade present at least at some shoots, pale to bright green, linear, slightly v-shaped, 5–22(33) cm long, 1.5–4.5 mm wide, attenuate, glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Involucral bracts leaf-like, spreading or semi-erect or erect, 1–3, lowermost up to 7(12) cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a simple to compound anthela, primary branches 1–10, 1–7 cm long; spikelets in sessile digitate clusters, at the end of primary and secondary branches, 2–9 per cluster, narrowly ovoid to cylindrical, 7–15(30)-flowered, 3–12 × 1–3 mm, with straight rachis; glumes light to dark brown or reddish-brown to almost black, ovate, 1.3–2.8 × 0.9–1.3 mm, keel pale green, slightly excurrent, margin sometimes pale green

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 3; anthers sulphur-yellow, 0.7–1.2 mm long; filaments white, 1.5–1.9 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Styles white

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Nutlet greyish- brown, ellipsoid, obovoid or almost orbicular, 0.5–1 mm long, 0.3–0.8 mm wide, irregularly tuberculate when mature.

Distribution

Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi.Widespread in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Ecology

Swampy or marshy sites, often by streams or rivers; in seasonally or more usually permanently wet grassland, thin wet soil over rock, ditches; 550–1700 m.

Conservation

Least Concern because of its wide distribution.

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Morphology General Habit

Aquatic herb.

Ecology

Alt. 65 - 2551 m.

Distribution

Native from Colombia.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/168969/1258665

Conservation

LC - least concern

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders

Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016).