About Cyperus grayioides Mohlenbr.
Cyperus grayioides Mohlenbr. (sometimes written as Cyperus grayoides) is a species of sedge with two common names: Illinois flatsedge and Mohlenbrock's umbrella sedge. This species is endemic to the United States, with a distribution that ranges from Illinois through Missouri and Arkansas down to Texas and Louisiana. It is a perennial herb that grows from a network of tuberous rhizomes, forming clumps of triangular stems that reach 35 to 48 centimeters in height. Its gray-green leaves grow up to 25 centimeters long. Its inflorescence is a cluster of several rounded spikes that hold many spikelets. This plant grows in sandy habitats including dunes and sandy prairies, and it can occasionally be found growing on roadsides. It is adapted to the periodic disturbance caused by wind and erosion in habitats like dunes. The species is often common at the sites where it occurs, but its habitat is threatened by development and degradation. The loss of a normal fire regime is also a threat, because fire is an important source of the natural disturbance this plant relies on. Additional threats to the species include grazing and sand mining.
