Phil Bendle Collection:Cyperus congestus (Purple umbrella sedge)

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Cyperus
Species: C. congestus
Binominal name: Cyperus congestus
Synonym: Mariscus congestus
Common names: Purple umbrella sedge, Clustered flatsedge, Dense flat sedge.

Cyperus congestus is thick, tufted, perennial sedge that is native to southern Africa (i.e. Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa) and is now a naturalised environmental weed in New Zealand. It is found throughout the North Island, Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury. It is locally common in many areas. It is commonly a weed of roadsides, disturbed sites and it can be found in both damp and dry areas. It also invades wetlands and waterways.

Cyperus congestus grows up to 100 cm tall. Its stems are smooth and triangular and have swollen pink/red bases.
The leaves (4-8 mm broad) are arranged in threes and they are shorter than stems. They are ridged with a deep dip down the centre.
During summer to autumn, the plant has single or a group of up to 7 red-purple round flower heads, each made up of 20 or so narrow flattened flower spikes. Each spikelet is >28mm long, smooth and is a red/brown colour. There are 3 to 6 long grass-like leaves immediately under each flower head at the end of the flower stalk.
The plant's fruit is a tiny nut which is triangular in cross-section, narrow to pear-shaped and dark brown to black. The seeds are dispersed by contaminated machinery.

[1]  
[http://ketenewplymouth.peoplesnetworknz.info/image_files/0000/0010/5303/Cyperus_congestus.JPG
]Flower heads photographed early March.[2]   

Cyperus congestus seeds and spikelet
[3] 

Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ 

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