Fimbristylis caroliniana |
Fimbristylis cymosa |
|
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Carolina fimbry |
hurricanegrass |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, to 150(–200) cm, cespitose or not; rhizomes scaly, slender, elongate. | Plants perennial, cespitose, (5–)10–60 cm, bases hard, glabrous; rhizomes absent. |
Culms | wand-like, at least 50 cm. |
|
Leaves | nearly distichous, spreading to ascending, 1/2 length of culms, sheath margins ciliolate at junction with blade, backs smooth to pubescent; ligule present, usually complete; blades linear, 2–5 mm wide, flat to involute, margins scabridulous, surfaces mostly glabrous. |
polystichous, mostly spreading-excurved, to 1/2 as long as culms; sheaths usually entire; ligule absent; blades linear, 2–3 mm wide, flat or shallowly involute, margin scabrid, apex blunt. |
Inflorescences | anthelae compound, dense or diffuse, mostly longer than broad; scapes wandlike, broadly linear, distally usually compressed, marginal ribs scabrid distally; longest primary involucral bract exceeding or shorter than anthela. |
simple or compound anthelae with numerous small pedunculate clusters of sessile spikelets; scapes linear, distally terete, 1–2 mm thick; involucral bracts short, usually shorter than inflorescence. |
Spikelets | pale brown or red-brown, broadly ovoid, ellipsoid, or lanceoloid, 5–15 mm; fertile scales ovate, 3–4 mm, apex rounded, often puberulent distally, midrib excurrent as scabrid mucro or short cusp. |
greenish brown or yellow-brown, ovoid, 2–3 mm; fertile scales broadly ovate, 1–1.5 mm, obtuse or apically notched, midrib not excurrent. |
Flowers | stamens 3; styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriolate. |
stamens usually 1; styles 2-fid, slender, glabrous. |
Achenes | pale to deep brown, lenticular-obovoid, 1 mm, finely but definitely cancellate with 14–15 horizontally oriented lattices per side. |
dark brown to nearly black, tumidly obovoid, rarely obscurely 3-ribbed, 1 mm, faintly striate to variously warty, faintly reticulate. |
2n | = 20, 30, 60. |
= 56. |
Fimbristylis caroliniana |
Fimbristylis cymosa |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall. | Fruiting all year. |
Habitat | Sands or sandy peats of slightly brackish to circumneutral marsh, interdunal swales and low sandy areas near coast | Sands of sea beaches, brackish sandy open sites, often disturbed, commonly just in from mangrove or on sandy road shoulders |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 0–50 m (0–200 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; SC; TX; VA; Mexico; West Indies
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FL; s Mexico; Central America; South America; Africa; Asia; Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia |
Discussion | The tallest, coarsest plants of Fimbristylis caroliniana, formerly referred to as F. harperi Britton ex Small, are the most clonal of North American Fimbristyloids, some clones literally covering acres of sandy swale or beach. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
New World examples of Fimbristylis cymosa are almost exclusively bicarpellate, with bifid styles; Old World Oceania examples are tricarpellate, with trifid styles, a form not covered in this treatment. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 123. | FNA vol. 23, p. 128. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis | Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Scirpus carolinianus, F. harperi | F. melanospora, F. obtusifolia, F. sintenisii, F. spathacea, Scirpus obtusifolius |
Name authority | (Lamarck) Fernald: Rhodora 42: 246. (1940) | R. Brown: Prodr., 228. (1810) |
Web links |