Cyperus ligularis L., Cyperaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Caribbean sedge, rocket sedge, swamp flatsedge

Habit:  sedge

Description:  "Robust plants, rhizomes short, clump-forming, culms to 100 cm tall; leaves 5-12 mm wide; bracteal leaves elongate; inflorescence of several short branches bearing very dense, short subcylindric spikes; spikelets 4-6 mm long, dark reddish-brown, the glumes obtuse; achene obovate, sharply trigonal, 1.5 mm long, slightly papillose, dark brown" (Stone, 1970; pp. 169-170).

Habitat/ecology:  "In wet sand of seashore and wet open grassland near the coast" (Wiggins & Porter, 1971p. 806).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical America and Africa, including Madagascar (Stone, 1970; pp. 169-170).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 67) Presence not verified.
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 67)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 169-170) Voucher cited: Stone 4053 (GUAM)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 67)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 37) Potentially invasive.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 116)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 116)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island		Stoddart, D. R./Taylor, J. D., eds. (1971) (p. 146) Vouchers cited: Stoddart 785 (K, US), Stoddart 878 (K, US), Rhyne 661 (US)

Comments:  Extensively naturalizing on Majuro, Marshall Islands (Nancy Vander Velde, pers. com.).

Additional information:  Additional online information about Cyperus ligularis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Cyperus ligularis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian monocotyledonae. Micronesica 20:1-126.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Stoddart, D. R./Taylor, J. D., eds. 1971. Geography and ecology of Diego Garcia Atoll, Chagos Archipelago. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 149. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 237 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

Wiggins, I. L./Porter, D. M. 1971. Flora of the Galapágos Islands. Stanford University Press. 998 pp.