Uncinia Pers.

Birdcatching sedge (en)

Genus

Angiosperms > Poales > Cyperaceae

Characteristics

Perennial, monoecious herbs, glabrous (or with hispid utricles). Stems central, tufted or approximate on a more or less creeping rhizome, erect or ascendent, sharply trigonous to subterete, striate, smooth, or scabrid below the inflorescence. Leaves narrowly linear, flat or involute, more or less scabrid on margins and nerves; basal sheaths bladeless, often disintegrating into fibres. Inflorescence a single, terminal spikelet; male part above, shorter than the lower female part. Glumes spirally arranged, ovate to oblong, concave, persistent or caducous, all flower-bearing, the lowest often produced into a setaceous to foliaceous bract. Male flowers naked, consisting of (1-)2-3 stamens with linear (or dilated, New World spp.) filaments and linear anthers; connective shortly produced. Female flowers naked, enclosed in a bottle-shaped, obtusely trigonous organ (utricle, perigynium) which is closed up to the truncate top, glabrous (in all Mai. and Austr. spp.) or hispid; style incrassate at the base; stigmas 3, exserted from the utricle. Rachilla (see note) reduced to a rigid bristle below the nut and produced far beyond the mouth of the utricle, hooked at the top. Nut trigonous.
More
Infl. a simple terminal spike with unisexual fls, ♂ at top, ♀ lower, in 1-fld spikelets each subtended by a glume; ♂ with 3 stamens; ♀ surrounded by a plano-convex to trigonous, us. glab., occ. hispid, closed sac or utricle; style-branches 3, protruding from mouth of utricle; nut trigonous; axis of spikelet, the rhachilla, produced beyond mouth of utricle and terminating in a rigid glume which is sharply reflexed to form a hook. Perennial herbs, tufted or shortly rhizomatous. Culms ± trigonous, occ. terete, with bract-like sheaths at base. Lvs grass-like, linear, us. Shallowly channelled, almost flat towards the base, flanged-channelled towards the tip, occ. involute, rarely plano-convex, margins ± scabrid, tip us. trigonous, lf-base sheathing. Between 40 and 50 spp., mainly in the S. Hemisphere but not found in S. Africa. Most N.Z. spp. are endemic but 2 are recorded from elsewhere in the Pacific.
Perennials, the culms erect, leafy below; flowers unisexual, spicate; bracts 2, connate and forming a bicarinate utricle, this enclosing the ovary; a rudiment of a spikelet present in the utricle, setiform, the apex exserted and uncinate.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
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Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality monoecy
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Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

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