Fimbristylis schoenoides |
Fimbristylis decipiens |
|
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ditch fimbry |
southern fimbry |
|
Habit | Plants annual, cespitose, 10–35(–40) cm, glabrous; rhizomes absent. | Plants annual, cespitose, to 30 cm, base soft, not bulbous; 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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Spikelets | yellowish, mostly turgidly ovoid, 5–8 mm; fertile scales broadly ovate, 2–3 mm, apex obtuse, entire, midrib excurrent or not. |
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. |
Flowers | stamens 3, styles 2-fid, flattened, fimbriate. |
stamens 1–2; styles 2-fid, flat, 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. |
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. |
2n | = 10. |
= 20. |
Fimbristylis schoenoides |
Fimbristylis decipiens |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–fall, all year in south. | Fruiting late summer–fall. |
Habitat | Moist sands or sandy peats of roadsides, ditches, flatwoods clearings, savanna, and particularly, disturbed low, open areas | Disturbed sites, low pinelands, banks, and fields |
Elevation | 1–100 m (0–300 ft) | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; tropical Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America]
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AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX
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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.) |
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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 124. | FNA vol. 23, p. 126. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis | Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Scirpus schoenoides, F. inconstans | |
Name authority | (Retzius) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 286. (1805) | Kral: Sida 4: 119, fig. 38. (1971) |
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