Cyperus fauriei

Cyperus fauriei is a rare species of sedge known by the common name alpine flatsedge. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it grows on the islands of Molokai and Hawaii. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.[2]

Alpine flatsedge

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Cyperus
Species:
C. fauriei
Binomial name
Cyperus fauriei
Synonyms[1]

Mariscus fauriei Kük.

This sedge grows 10 to 50 centimeters tall with a solitary stem or a bunch of stems together. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers with three to five bracts at the base, the lowest bract measuring up to 20 centimeters long. Each flower cluster is made up of a few spikes, which in turn are made up of several spikelets. The spikelet is a flattened array of seven to nine tiny flowers.[2][3]

Today this plant grows on Molokai and the island of Hawaii; it has been extirpated from Lanai.[3] It is rare on Hawaii, but on parts of Molokai it is locally common, with several thousand plants known. It grows on ridges and in gulches. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat, which is caused by non-native species of ungulates and plants, agricultural operations, fire, and development.[3]

References
  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. USFWS. Determination of Endangered or Threatened Status for 21 Plants From the Island of Hawaii, State of Hawaii. Federal Register March 4, 1994.
  3. Cyperus fauriei. The Nature Conservancy.
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