1. Cyperaceae The Sedge Family Juncaceae The Rush Family www. uvm
Cyperaceae The Sedge Family Juncaceae The Rush Family

2. Character
JUNCACEAE (Rushes)
CYPERACEAE (Sedges)
POACEAE (Grasses)
Habitat
Mostly wet areas
Wetlands and upland woods
Various
Stems
Terete in cross section
Internodes solid with large pith
Nodes not jointed
Triangular (not always visible)
Internodes usually solid
Terete or ellipsoid
Internodes hollow (to solid)
Nodes jointed
Leaves
3-ranked
Blades flat to terete
Open sheath
Blades flat
Closed sheath
2-ranked
Inflorescence
Basically cymose and often congested
Each flower subtended by 2 bracts
Spikelets
Each flower subtended by one bract (scale)
Each flower subtended by 2 bracts (lemma and palea
Perianth
Usually 6 chaffy tepals
Absent or reduced to a number of bristles or scales
Reduced to 2 (or 3) scales
Fruit
Loculicidal capsule
Achene
Caryopsis (grain)

3. Cyperaceae The Sedge Family
Vegetative attributes:
Mostly perennial herbs
Stems often three-angled
Nodes not swollen
Internodes not hollow
Leaves three-ranked, sheaths not split

4. Dulichium arundinaceum, Three-way sedge

5. Cyperaceae The Sedge Family
Reproductive attributes:
Perianth, if present, of bristles or scales
Androecium of three stames
Ovary superior, 2-3 fused carpels
Fruit an achene
Each floret subtended by a scale
Florets arranges in spikelets

6. S Staminate florets Scale Spikelet Pistillate florets
Carex: no perianth, flowers unisexual

7. Eriophorum, cotton grass:
Perianth of long bristles

8. Cyperaceae: The Sedge Family 90 genera, 4000 species worldwide

9. Vermont Genera: Carex (sedge) – 125 species
Scirpus (bulrush) – 17 species
Cyperus (umbrella sedge, galingale) – 10 species
Eleocharis (spike rush) – 9 species
Dulichium (three-way sedge) – 1 species, common
Eriophorum (cotton grass) – 5 species
Rhynchospora (beak rush) – 4 species
Cladium (twig rush) – 1 species, uncommon
Fimbristylis (autumn fimbristylis) – 1 species, rare
Bulbostylis (sand sedge) – 1 species

10. Carex: perigynium

12. A Key to Vermont Cyperaceae

13. Perigynium?
Yes: Carex No
Flowers
perfect
and
distichous
Flowers
spirally
imbricate

14. Distichous

15. If perfect and distichous, it is either
Cyperus or
Dulichium

16. Spirally imbricate

17. Spirally imbricate
Tubercle?

18. Yes, tubercle
Spikelet one per culm
Spikelets more than one per culm
Eleocharis

19. Tubercle minute
Tubercle broad
Bulbostylis
Rhynchospora

20. No tubercle
Conspicuous bristles?

21. Yes, bristles
Very long:
Eriophorum
Shorter:
Scirpus

22. Bract of inflorecence one:
No conspicuous bristles
Bract of inflorecence one:
Scirpus

23. Bracts of inflorecence multiple Flowers one per spikelet:
No conspicuous bristles
Bracts of inflorecence multiple
Flowers one per spikelet:
Cladium

24. Flowers several per spikelet
No conspicuous bristles, bracts of inflorescence multiple
Flowers several per spikelet
Leaves > 5 mm wide:
Scirpus

25. Leaves narrower
Leaf sheaths long-ciliate
Leaf sheaths short-ciliate
Bulbostylis
Fimbristylis