Fuirena squarrosa

From Coastal Plain Plants Wiki
Revision as of 16:19, 13 May 2019 by Asnyder (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

Common name: hairy umbrella-sedge; salt-marsh umbrellagrass

Fuirena squarrosa
Fuirena squarrosa AFP.jpg
Photo by the Atlas of Florida Plants Database
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida - Moncots
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Fuirena
Species: F. squarrosa
Binomial name
Fuirena squarrosa
Michx.
FUIR SQUA DIST.JPG
Natural range of Fuirena squarrosa from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Taxonomic Notes

Synonyms: Fuirena hispida Elliott

Description

F. squarrosa is a native perennial graminoid that is a member of the Cyperaceae family [1]. Species in this family grow reproductive units in the form of spikelets, which contain highly simplified flowers [2]. F. squarrosa has alternate simple leaves shaped linearly, and contains a fibrous root structure like most Monocots. The inflorescence is a spikelet, like other grasses, and the perianth contains bristles.[3]

Distribution

The species can be found in the Southeast United States, ranging from Texas to Virginia, as well as in the Northeast in Maryland, New Jersey, and New York [1]. It becomes more rare in communities located in Tennessee, Delaware, and New Jersey [4]. Although it is mainly distributed along the southeastern coastal plain, it is less strictly limited than other species.[5]

Ecology

Habitat

F. squarrosa can be found in mesic communities, including sphagnous bogs, [6] and can be found infrequently in pine-palmetto communities and wet prairies [7]. As well, F. squarrosa is present in habitats ranging from wet sandy loams of roadside depressions and other wet loamy sand disturbed sites. [8] It is listed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as an obligate wetland species, where it only occurs in wetland habitats.[1] As well, F. squarrosa is considered an indicator species of panhandle seepage savannas in north Florida.[9]

Associated species - Eleocharis tuberculosa, Gentiana saponaria, Bartonia paniculata, Platanthera cristata, Pyrus arbutifolia, and Viburnum nudum [6].

Phenology

This species generally flowers from July until October.[5] This bloom time also denotes the fruiting period for F. squrrosa.[3] Flowering time ranges continuously from August until October, while fruit development has been seen in the months of May and October. [8]

Fire ecology

Sphagnous bogs and other similar communities are fire dependent due to their high acidity, which makes F. squarrosa dependent on fire frequency [10].

Conservation and Management

This species is listed as threatened by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Natural Features Inventory, and is listed as a species of special concern by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Natural Heritage Program.[1]

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 USDA Plants Database URL: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=FUSQ
  2. Jump up Reutemann, A. G., Vegetti, A. C., and Pozner, R. Inflorescence development in Abildgaardieae (Cyperaceae, Cyperoideae). Flora 210: 3-12.
  3. Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center URL: www.wildflower.org
  4. Jump up NatureServe Explorer URL: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/
  5. Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 Weakley, A. S. (2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  6. Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 Bridges, E. L. and S. L. Orzell (1989). "Syngonanthus flavidulus (Eriocaulaceae) new to Mississippi." SIDA, Contributions to Botany 13(4): 512-515.
  7. Jump up Hilmon, J. B. (1964). "Plants of the Caloosa Experimental Range " U.S. Forest Service Research Paper SE-12
  8. Jump up to: 8.0 8.1 Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2018. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Ed Keppner, Lisa Keppner, Travis MacClendon, Karen MacClendon, George Wilder, J. Roche, R. A. Norris, Helen Roth, Floyd Griffith, and Richard Carter. States and counties: Florida: Putnam, Bay, Calhoun, Leon, Gadsden, and Jackson. Georgia: Brantley.
  9. Jump up Carr, S. C., et al. (2010). "A Vegetation Classification of Fire-Dependent Pinelands of Florida." Castanea 75(2): 153-189.
  10. Jump up Campbell, C. S. (1983). "Systematics of the Andropogon virginicus complex (Gramineae)." Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 64(2): 171-254.