Fimbristylis brevivaginata

Kral

Sida 15: 318, fig. 1. 1992.

Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 125. Mentioned on page 123.

Plants perennial, cespitose, 20–50 cm, base bulbous; rhizomes scaly, compact, strongly tapering. Leaves nearly polystichous, spreading to ascending, 1/2 as long as culms; sheaths contracted, abruptly dilated, margins fimbriate-ciliate distally; ligule present, complete; blades narrowly linear, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, flat to shallowly involute, margin intermittently scabridciliate, abaxial surface usually glabrous. Inflorescences: anthelae mostly simple, of 2–7 (–9) spikelets, ascending-branched, slightly mostly longer than broad, scapes slender, 1 mm wide, to very compressed distally;, proximalmost involucral-bract shorter than anthela. Spikelets redbrown, narrowly ovoid to lanceoloid or cylindric, 5–15 mm, fertile scales broadly ovate, 4.5–5 mm, glabrous to puberulent, midrib excurrent as cusp or mucro. Flowers: stamens 3, styles 2-fid, flat, fimbriate. Achenes dark-brown to greenish brown, obovoidlenticular, 1.2–1.5 mm, faces each 11–13-ribbed, cancellate, ribs connected by vertical rows of transversely rectangular pits.


Phenology: Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat: Sandy seeps and margins of shallow temporary pools on and around sandstone and granitic outcrops
Elevation: 0–500 m

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Fimbristylis brevivaginata, with its slender, distally compressed scapes and its complete, transverse ligule of short hairs, bears a strong resemblance to Fimbristylis caroliniana, yet it also has bulbous culm bases that produce short, strongly tapering, bulbousbased rhizomes, reminiscent of some F. puberula races. It is very infrequent, known to occupy fewer than ten of the hundreds of sandy rock outcrops in the Georgia Piedmont and Alabama Cumberland Plateau.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

dark-brown +  and greenish brown +
reticulate-honeycombed +
trigonous;biconvex +
ascending-branched +  and simple +
slightly mostly longer than broad +
Robert Kral +
deciduous +
enlarged +
flat +  and shallowly involute +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
3-5-angled +, compressed +  and terete +
Ala. +  and Ga. +
0–500 m +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
Sandy seeps and margins of shallow temporary pools on and around sandstone and granitic outcrops +
interrupted +  and continuous +
compound +  and simple +
erect +  and spreading +
polystichous +
spreading;ascending +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
Fruiting summer–fall. +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
rectangular +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
connected +
adventitious +
basal +  and proximal +
glabrous;puberulent +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
compressed +
slender +
narrowly ovoid;lanceoloid or cylindric +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
fimbriate +  and 2-fid +
Fimbristylis brevivaginata +
Fimbristylis +
species +
not +  and rhizomatous +
plant +  and cespitose +