FoI
Star Sedge
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Star Sedge
P Introduced Photo: Prashant Awale
Common name: Star Sedge, Stargrass, Starrush whitetop, White star sedge, White-topped sedge
Botanical name: Rhynchospora colorata    Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Synonyms: Cyperus kyllingia, Rhynchospora stellata, Schoenus coloratus

Star Sedge is a perennial herb, up to 70 cm, with stems erect, slender, leafy-based, trigonous, several-ribbed. Leaves are spreading to erect, overtopped by stem; blades narrowly linear, proximally flattened, 0.5-3 mm wide, tip tapering, trigonous. Flowers are borne at branch-ends, solitary, headlike, dense, white, leafy-involucrate. What look like petals are actually involucral bracts which are several, flaring to recurved, white from broadened base nearly to median, then green to tapered tip, longer bracts 13 cm x 2–7 mm. Spikelets are white, ovoid, 5-7 mm, tip pointed; fertile scales many, boat shaped, sharply curved keeled, 3-4 mm, tip pointed or blunt. Flowers have no petals. Star Sedge is native to Southern USA, Central America, Northern South America. It is cultivated elsewhere as a garden plant.

Identification credit: Prashant Awale Photographed in cultivation in Mumbai.

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