The Palmetto Quarterly Magazine of the Florida Native Plant Society · Vol. 18, No. 2 · Summer 1998

The Yellow-Eyed Grass Family in Florida

by Jim Lee

The state of Florida is richly en- in the partially open to fully open sunlit dowed with over 2,100 native plant environment. species, where many may occur in or near One can easily become familiar with wetland ecosystems. The diversity of Florida’s 21 species of Xyris, or the ones wetland plants is influenced by climate, in your area. The challenge is to recognize hydric soil conditions, and other them in the field. Size and shape are the biological interactions that promote or most useful tools to identify them. If limit their existence. By early summer to possible, collect a complete sample late fall, one wetland plant family, the specimen, including the roots, stem XYRIDACEAE, inhabits many fresh-water (scape), cone (spike or bract), leaves, wetlands. It begins to pervade the shallow flowers, and seeds. Then compare and margins of ponds, lakeshores, and differentiate between the plant's physical roadside ditches with its 2-3 foot tall stem characteristics with known identifiable topped by a cone-shaped spike that traits that are available in various plant exposes one or two small yellow flowers identification books or manuals. They at a time. Two species produce yellow or may include a photograph or drawing of white flowers, Xyris caroliniana and X. the specimens, description and platylepis. measurement of the leaf, leafless stem, The XYRIDACEAE has but one cone, petal, seed, lateral sepal, habitat, the genus in North America while there are season they flower, and their distribution. many genera in the tropics (Rickert 1966). Equipment needed to help identify the There are 21 known native species of parts of the plant include a hand lens yellow-eyed grass that occur in Florida, (with a power of 10 or more), a metric ruler plus one non-native introduced from to measure the lengths of the spike, seed, Tropical America (Xyris jupicai). Thirteen leaves, and lateral sepal, and scape. The species occur in peninsular Florida. Nine table on the opposite page summarizes species occur only in the panhandle and many important identifying characteristics do not extend into Central Florida. of various Xyris species in Florida. The Interestingly, the yellow-eyed grass is not ideal method is to compare a field a grass but is considered an annual or Illustrations of flower and plant from Rare specimen you have collected with one perennial herbaceous plant that prefers to and Endangered biota of Florida, Volume 5, from a permanent voucher specimen at a Plants. By Daniel Waard, University Press of grow in acidic, hydric, sandy or slightly local university herbarium. Florida, Gainesville, 1978. organic soils. Most inhabit wet pine There are distinguishable physical flatwoods, pond and lake margins, land transition zone, or not enough characteristics that some species have cypress swamps, creek swamps, bogs, moisture at the ground surface. The which no other species provide. For freshwater marshes, and wet prairies. Its yellow-eyed grasses adapt well and example, two rare species, Xyris habitat is limited by significant changes in endure the shallow wet habitat where deer longisepala and X. scabrifolia, possess water levels and xtended flood duration in and marsh rabbits can browse their leaves different habitat requirements unique from an upland-wet- the rest of the species found in Florida. Xyris longisepala is listed by the Florida An endemic species, X. isoetifolia, is Hall, DW, Illustrated Plants of Florida and Department of Agriculture as an found in Bay and Gulf Counties of Florida the Coastal Plain, Maupin House endangered species. In Florida, it occurs and occurs in savannahs, flatwood pond Publishing, Gainesville, Florida. only in four known locations in Bay, margins, bogs, or lakeshores (Godfrey and Kral, Robert. 1966. Xyris (Xyridaceae) of the Leon, and Walton Counties. There are Wooten 1979). There are less than 20 Continental United States and Canada: also known sites where it exists in locations with less than 3,000 plants total Sida 2:177-269. southern Alabama. There are less than 20 (FGFWFC 1989). The Florida Natural sites total with less than 3,000 plants total Areas Inventory (FNAI) in Tallahassee, Radford, A.B., H. E. Ahles, and C. R. Bell. (Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish Florida ((904) 224-8207) is interested in 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Commission - FGFWFC 1989). Their being notified if one finds a listed species Carolinas. University of North Carolina habitat in the panhandle is on moist on private or protected public lands. Press. Chapel Hill, North Carolina. sandy shorelines of receding sandhill Protection of these listed species and Rickert, H.W. 1966. Wild Flowers of the sinkhole ponds, or lake shores where their habitat is the key to their future. United States - The Southeastern States. water levels periodically recede enough to Many wetlands are being altered by Vol.2. McGraw Hill Book Co. New York. expose the sandy soil. The plants bloom draining them or changing their in the after noon, and have small petals hydrology which Small, J. K. 1933. Manual of the with a spike shape that is ellipsoid to can cause damage to the wetland habitat. Southeastern Flora. The University of oblong. In comparison, species that may For the further interested botanist, North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, North Carolina. grow in association with X. longisepala the following table is a brief comparison include X. isoetifolia, X. smalliana and of characteristic features of the Xyris Taylor, W. K. The Guide to Florida X.jupicai. X. isoctifolia blooms in the species that occur in Florida. For a more Wildflowers. Taylor Publishing Co. Dallas, mor-ning, X. smalliana and X.jupicai des-criptive identification, use botanical Texas. bloom in the afternoon. X. smalliana has references and manuals available from a taller scape than X. longisepala and X. your library or book store. After you US Department of Agriculture. 1983. A jupicai. Also, X. jupicai has a wider leaf investigate several wetlands and find the Report On Some Rare, Threatened, Or Endangered Forest-Related width, while the other two have narrow yellow-eyed grass in bloom, you will VascularPlants Of The South. Vol. 1. linear leaves. Knowing other key physical appreciate the radiant beauty they Isoetaceae through Eupborbiaccae. characteris tics can further distinguish provide in Florida’s splendid wetlands. Technical Publication R8-TP2. Atlanta, between them. Once these features be- Georgia. come familiar, the fun begins when you ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jim Lee is a Wetland compare other species. Scientist with Camp, Dresser & McKee Inc., Ward, D.B., editor. 1979. Rare and Orlando, Florida, and is a member of the Xyris scabrifolia is listed as Endangered Biota of Florida. Vol. S. Tarflower Chapter of FNPS. Plants. University Presses of Florida, threatened in Florida. "Scabrous" means Gainesville, Florida. "rough to touch;" for this species, this includes all parts of the leaves and scape. RFFFRFNCES Wunderlin, R. P 1982. Guide to the Vascular The leaf surface has small tubercles called Plants of Central Florida. University Bridges, Edwin L. and Steve L. Orzell. Presses of Florida (a University of South papillose. The common name is Harper's 1990."Xyris Chapmanii, a New Species Florida book). Tampa, Florida. yellow-eyed grass, and it is found only in from the Gulf Coastal Plain of the Bay, Gulf, Liberty, and Escambia Southern United States: Phytologia Wanderlin, R. P. 1998. Guide to the Vascular Counties of Florida (and nine locations in 68(5):382-389. Plants of Florida. University Press of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi). The Florida. Gainesville, Florida. plant is found solitary or in small tufts, on Clewell, A.F. 1985, Guide To The Vascular wet sandy peats of seepage slopes in Plants of The Florida Panhandle. University Presses of Florida. pinelands, sphagna and pitcher plant Tallahassee, Florida. bogs, and wet prairies. The length of the few leaves they have vary from four Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish inches to 27 7 inches (10 to 40 cm) and 1/ Commission. 1989. Summary Report on the Vascular Plants, Animals and Plant to V inch (5 to 10 mm) wide (Godfrey and Lee, J. 1998 The Yellow-Eyed Grass Family Communities Endemic to Florida. Florida Wooten 1979, and USDA 1983). The in Florida. The Palmetto, 18(2):14. Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission bulbous base of the leaf is tinted with http://www.fnps.org/palmetto/v18i2p14le Nongame Wildlife Program, Technical e.pdf (11 October, 2002). pink or purple. The twisted, but erect Report No. 7. Tallahassee, Florida. flower stem is 1-3 feet (30 to 60 cm) tall. Articles from The Palmetto that appear on The spike is 10 to 20 mm long, obovoid or Godfrey, R.K. andj.WWooton.1979. Aquatic this website may be used in portion or ellipsoidal (USDA 1983). This species is and Wetland Plants of the Southeastern entirely for non-commercial, informational or United States. Mono-cotyledons. similar to X. platylepis, but differs in educational purposes, provided complete University of Georgia Press. Athens, having fine tubercles, round Petals, and in and accurate citation accompanies all Georgia. having much larger, longer seeds. usage. Citation must include authorship, photo credits, and the website of the Florida Native Plant Society as the source of publication.