The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

southern fimbry

woolly fimbry

Habit Plants annual, cespitose, to 30 cm, base soft, not bulbous; rhizomes absent. Plants annual, cespitose, to 75 cm; rhizomes absent.
Leaves

nearly distichous, mostly spreading, to 2/3 length of culms;

sheaths ciliate, sheath backs often pilose-hirsute;

ligule present, complete;

blades narrowly linear, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, flat or shallowly concave, margins scabrid, abaxial surface scattered-pilose, hirsute-ciliate at least proximally.

nearly distichous, ascending, 1/2–3/4 length of culms;

sheath margins ciliolate, adaxial surface sparsely to copiously hirtellous distally;

ligule present, complete;

blades narrowly linear, 2–4(–5) mm wide, flat to shallowly involute, margins ciliate-scabrid, abaxial surface pilose-hirsute.

Inflorescences

anthelae simple or compound, open, divaricately branched, mostly as broad as long;

scapes slender, 1 mm wide, distally slightly compressed;

proximalmost involucral bract exceeding or shorter than anthela.

anthelae compound, ascending-branched, longer than broad;

scapes distally oval or flattened, glabrous to pubescent;

longest involucral bract exceeding anthela.

Spikelets

pale brown or red-brown, ovoid to lanceoloid, 5–6 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate, 1.5–2 mm, acute- to obtuse-angled, midrib short-excurrent as mucro.

rusty brown, lanceoloid, 4–6 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate to nearly orbiculate, 2–3 mm, broadly acute, midrib excurrent as mucro or cusp.

Flowers

stamens 1–2;

styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate.

stamens 2;

styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate.

Achenes

whitened-iridescent to brown, lenticular or pyriform-obovoid, 1 mm, cancellate, each face with 5–12 vertical rows of transversely oriented rectangular pits, achene margins distally papillose.

pale to dark brown with pale umbo, lenticular-obpyriform, 1.7–2 mm, finely pitted, appearing nearly smooth, the pits in at least 20 narrow vertical rows per face.

2n

= 20.

= 10.

Fimbristylis decipiens

Fimbristylis tomentosa

Phenology Fruiting late summer–fall. Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Disturbed sites, low pinelands, banks, and fields Moist to wet sands, silts or peats of low fields, clearings, waste areas, stream and pond banks, very weedy in ricelands
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 0–200 m (0–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; Asia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains, Fimbristylis decipiens often shares habitat with two close, likewise weedy, relatives: F. dichotoma and F. annua. From the former F. decipiens is distinguished by its annual habit, its papillose distal achene edges, and the more spreading anthela branches; from the latter it differs in its usually less papillose achene and its harder, more spreading foliage. No intergrades appear to occur among the three.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Fimbristylis tomentosa apparently was introduced with early rice culture and is rapidly expanding its range.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 23, p. 126. FNA vol. 23, p. 124.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis
Sibling taxa
F. annua, F. autumnalis, F. brevivaginata, F. caroliniana, F. castanea, F. cymosa, F. dichotoma, F. miliacea, F. perpusilla, F. puberula, F. schoenoides, F. squarrosa, F. thermalis, F. tomentosa, F. vahlii
F. annua, F. autumnalis, F. brevivaginata, F. caroliniana, F. castanea, F. cymosa, F. decipiens, F. dichotoma, F. miliacea, F. perpusilla, F. puberula, F. schoenoides, F. squarrosa, F. thermalis, F. vahlii
Synonyms F. diphylla var. pluristriata, F. podocarpa
Name authority Kral: Sida 4: 119, fig. 38. (1971) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 290. (1805)
Web links