Fimbristylis thermalis |
Fimbristylis schoenoides |
|
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hot springs fimbristylis, hot springs fimbry |
ditch fimbry |
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Habit | Plants perennial, robust, 50–150 cm, cespitose or with culms solitary; rhizomes scaly, slender, elongate. | Plants annual, cespitose, 10–35(–40) cm, glabrous; rhizomes absent. |
Leaves | nearly distichous, spreading to ascending, 1/2 length of culms; sheath margins entire, backs smooth to pubescent; ligule present, complete; blades narrowly linear, proximally flat, 2–3.5(–4) mm wide, margins scabrid-ciliate, abaxial surface sometimes pubescent. |
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 | anthelae simple or compound, longer than wide; scapes wandlike, nearly terete or slightly compressed, distally 1 mm thick, marginal ribs scabrid; longest primary involucral bract shorter than panicle. |
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 | pale dull brown, lance-ovoid to cylindric-ellipsoid, 10–12 mm; fertile scales ovate, 3.5–4 mm, apex broadly acute, ciliate, surface uniformly puberulent, midrib excurrent as mucro or cusp. |
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, flat, fimbriate. |
stamens 3, styles 2-fid, flattened, fimbriate. |
Achenes | dark brown, lenticular-obovoid, 1.5 mm, finely cancellate, with 20 or more longitudinal rows of horizontally rectangular pits per side. |
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 | = 20. |
= 10. |
Fimbristylis thermalis |
Fimbristylis schoenoides |
|
Phenology | Fruiting spring–fall. | Fruiting summer–fall, all year in south. |
Habitat | Mineralized sands of hot springs, alkaline seep meadows | Moist sands or sandy peats of roadsides, ditches, flatwoods clearings, savanna, and particularly, disturbed low, open areas |
Elevation | 300–600 m (1000–2000 ft) | 1–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Coahuila)
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AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; tropical Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America]
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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.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 124. | FNA vol. 23, p. 124. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis | Cyperaceae > Fimbristylis |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Scirpus schoenoides, F. inconstans | |
Name authority | S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 360. (1871) | (Retzius) Vahl: Enum. Pl. 2: 286. (1805) |
Web links |