Flora of North America species comparison

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Fimbristylis schoenoides

ditch fimbry
Habit Plants annual, cespitose, 10–35(–40) cm, glabrous; rhizomes absent.
Leaves

polystichous, mostly spreading to ascending;

sheath margins entire;

ligule present, complete;

blades narrowly linear, to 1 mm wide, flat to shallowly involute, margins distantly scabrid, surface glabrous.
Inflorescences

spikelets 1, terminal or 2–3 in simple anthela longer than broad, laterals subsessile;

scapes narrowly linear, coarsely ribbed, distally compressed;

involucral bracts usually 1 per spikelet, exceeding or exceeded by it.
Spikelets

yellowish, mostly turgidly ovoid, 5–8 mm;

fertile scales broadly ovate, 2–3 mm, apex obtuse, entire, midrib excurrent or not.
Flowers

stamens 3, styles 2-fid, flattened, fimbriate.
Achenes

near white to pale brown, lenticular-obovoid to obpyriform, 2 mm, appearing smooth under 10–20X magnification, under higher power finely longitudinally ribbed, with fine, isodiametric pits in vertical lines.
2n

= 10.

Fimbristylis schoenoides
Phenology Fruiting summer–fall, all year in south.
Habitat Moist sands or sandy peats of roadsides, ditches, flatwoods clearings, savanna, and particularly, disturbed low, open areas
Elevation 1–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; tropical Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Fimbristylis schoenoides is an unusual Fimbristylis for us, with a smooth, “eleocharis-like” appearance. The plants are mostly low and spreading-culmed, glabrous annuals of Asian origin.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 23, p. 124.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis
Sibling taxa
F. annua, F. autumnalis, F. brevivaginata, F. caroliniana, F. castanea, F. cymosa, F. decipiens, F. dichotoma, F. miliacea, F. perpusilla, F. puberula, F. squarrosa, F. thermalis, F. tomentosa, F. vahlii
Synonyms Scirpus schoenoides, F. inconstans
Name authority (Retzius) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 286. (1805)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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