Cyperaceae taxon details
Scleria terrestris (L.) Fassett
- Variety Scleria terrestris var. hookeriana (Boeckeler) D.M.Verma
- Variety Scleria terrestris var. terrestris (L.) Fassett
- Variety Scleria terrestris var. thomsoniana (Boeckeler) D.M.Verma
- Variety Scleria terrestris var. decolorans (C.B.Clarke) Fassett accepted as Scleria terrestris var. terrestris (L.) Fassett
- Variety Scleria terrestris var. latior (C.B.Clarke) Fassett accepted as Scleria terrestris var. terrestris (L.) Fassett
terrestrial
Not documented
Description Perennials, stoloniferous. Rhizomes woody, with dark purple scales. Culms sparse, 0.6-3 m tall, 4-7 mm wide, 3-angled,...
Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Rhodora 26: 159 1924 to Rhodora 26: 159 (1924), information provided...
Description Perennials, stoloniferous. Rhizomes woody, with dark purple scales. Culms sparse, 0.6-3 m tall, 4-7 mm wide, 3-angled, often scabrous, glabrous. Leaf sheaths 1-8 cm, papery; basal 2 or 3 sheaths on culm purplish red, not winged; sheaths at middle part of culm with wings 1-3 mm wide; contraligule semicircular, short, usually barbate, barbs purple; leaf blade linear, 30-40 cm × 6-10 mm, papery, slightly scabrous, glabrous. Involucral bracts leaflike, basalmost to 40 cm, sheathing; bractlets setaceous, basally auriculate, auricles slightly hispid. Inflorescences paniculate, with 1-3 distant branches; branches 3-8 × 1.5-6 cm. Spikelet 1(or 2) in a cluster, entirely unisexual, oblong-ovoid to narrowly ovoid, apex truncate to acuminate. Glumes of male spikelets 2-3 mm, thickly membranous, basal ones keeled and with rust-colored short lines, apical ones pale colored and scarious. Female spikelets usually growing at base of branch; glumes broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2-4 mm wide, sometimes with rust-colored short lines, keeled, apex apiculate. Male spikelets 3-flowered. Male flowers: anthers linear. Female flowers: stigmas 3. Disk yellow, ca. 1.8 mm in diam., slightly 3-lobed to barely lobed; lobes semicircular, flat, margin reflexed. Nutlet white or pale brown, spherical to ovoid, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., sometimes ± 3-sided, reticulate, slightly hispid, apex tipped. [details]
Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Rhodora 26: 159 1924 to Rhodora 26: 159 (1924), information provided...
Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Rhodora 26: 159 1924 to Rhodora 26: 159 (1924), information provided by Alan E. on email Jun. 07 2021 More details could be found in The P [details]
Cyperaceae Working Group. (2025). [see How to cite]. Global Cyperaceae Database. Scleria terrestris (L.) Fassett. Accessed at: https://cyperaceae.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1681840 on 2025-09-11
The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
basis of record
Plants of the World Online (POWO). , available online at https://powo.science.kew.org/ [details]
Other
additional source
Li, B. Z.; Zhang, S. R. (2024). An updated species checklist and taxonomic synopsis of Cyperaceae in China. <em>Biodiversity Science.</em> 32(7): 24106., available online at https://doi.org/10.17520/biods.2024106 [details] Available for editors 
[request]
[request]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Description Perennials, stoloniferous. Rhizomes woody, with dark purple scales. Culms sparse, 0.6-3 m tall, 4-7 mm wide, 3-angled, often scabrous, glabrous. Leaf sheaths 1-8 cm, papery; basal 2 or 3 sheaths on culm purplish red, not winged; sheaths at middle part of culm with wings 1-3 mm wide; contraligule semicircular, short, usually barbate, barbs purple; leaf blade linear, 30-40 cm × 6-10 mm, papery, slightly scabrous, glabrous. Involucral bracts leaflike, basalmost to 40 cm, sheathing; bractlets setaceous, basally auriculate, auricles slightly hispid. Inflorescences paniculate, with 1-3 distant branches; branches 3-8 × 1.5-6 cm. Spikelet 1(or 2) in a cluster, entirely unisexual, oblong-ovoid to narrowly ovoid, apex truncate to acuminate. Glumes of male spikelets 2-3 mm, thickly membranous, basal ones keeled and with rust-colored short lines, apical ones pale colored and scarious. Female spikelets usually growing at base of branch; glumes broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2-4 mm wide, sometimes with rust-colored short lines, keeled, apex apiculate. Male spikelets 3-flowered. Male flowers: anthers linear. Female flowers: stigmas 3. Disk yellow, ca. 1.8 mm in diam., slightly 3-lobed to barely lobed; lobes semicircular, flat, margin reflexed. Nutlet white or pale brown, spherical to ovoid, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., sometimes ± 3-sided, reticulate, slightly hispid, apex tipped. [details]Taxonomic remark Source in seed data: wcs Update namepublishedIn from Rhodora 26: 159 1924 to Rhodora 26: 159 (1924), information provided by Alan E. on email Jun. 07 2021 More details could be found in The P [details]
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (21 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Scleria terrestris)
To GenBank (5 nucleotides; 2 proteins)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To IUCN Red List (Least Concern)
To Plants of the World Online
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Scleria terrestris K000291175 type 1)
To the Natural History Museum, London (Scleria terrestris (L.) Fassett BM000829827 type 1)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Scleria terrestris)
To GenBank (5 nucleotides; 2 proteins)
To International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
To IUCN Red List (Least Concern)
To Plants of the World Online
To Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Scleria terrestris K000291175 type 1)
To the Natural History Museum, London (Scleria terrestris (L.) Fassett BM000829827 type 1)
From editor or global species database
Hosted externally
Hosted externally
