An Overview of the Sedge Family in Florida
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East Central Florida CISMA Fall Meeting October 27, 2020. Zoom Meeting AN OVERVIEW OF THE SEDGE FAMILY IN FLORIDA Presented by: Daniel Young [email protected] Young Bear Environmental Consulting GRAMINOIDS 3 FAMILIES: • GRASSES – POACEAE • RUSHES – JUNCACEAE • SEDGES – CYPERACEAE POACEAE • FLOWER: Modified floret in a spikelet • FRUIT: Grain • LEAVES: Blade, Ligule, Sheath JUNCACEAE • FLOWER: 3-flowered, small, 6 tepals, 2 rows • FRUIT: trilocular, dehiscent capsule w many seeds. • LEAVES: in basal tuft; flat or terete (round) JUNCACEAE Juncus repens (flat) Juncus effusus (terete) CYPERACEAE - SEDGES • Flower: reduced (perfect or imperfect) • Grouped in spikelets subtended by scale • Inflorescence often subtended by bract • Anemophilous (wind-pollinated) • Water & animal dispersed CYPERACEAE - SEDGES • Sedge flowers are subtended by a ______________ and are grouped into a structure called a _______________ • Answer Choices: Bract Inflorescence Scale Tepal Spikelet Ligule CYPERACEAE - SEDGES • FRUIT: Achene (lenticular or trigonous) SEDGE FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS • Triangular in X.S. “sedges have edges” • Leaves 3-ranked SEDGE FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS • Leaves 3-ranked, closed basal sheath (vs. grasses) • Contraligule – opposite side of leaf extension • In some no blades SEDGE FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS • Solid internodes (vs. grasses) • Perennial • Rhizomatous, caespitose (clumped) • Generally like wetter, nutrient poor soils Cyperus Eleocharis confervoides 17 Genera; 282 Taxa Native: 241 Non-Native: 41 • FLEPPC Listed: 4 Species • EPPC I Species: Scleria lacustris WRIGHT'S NUTRUSH Scleria microcarpa TROPICAL NUTRUSH • EPPC II Species: Cyperus involucratus UMBRELLA PLANT Cyperus prolifer DWARF PAPYRUS; MINIATURE FLATSEDGE Easy Genera To Recognize • Carex • Scleria • Cyperus • Eleocharis • Rhynchospora Carex – Perigynium – Flowers imperfect (male above, female below) Scleria – whitenut sedge – Exposed white nutlet (achene) – Common in drier habitats (despite being primarily listed as FACW) – Tend to be leafy – Strongly 3 angled Cyperus - flatsedge – Flattened spikelets Eleocharis - spikerush – Unbranched scape – Bladeless leaf, sheath only – Single spike, no subtending bract – Spikes wider or equivalent to scape Eleocharis - spikerush – Rhizomatous – Some are viviparous Eleocharis – Typical habit - mats or emergent – Almost terete in X.S. Rhynchospora - beaksedge – Mostly clump forming, some rhizomatous – Scales spirally imbricate, 1-2 flowered – Inflorescence subtended by foliar bract Rhynchospora - beaksedge – Achene with prominent beak (not the only genus though) – Achene with few to many prominent bristles Resources • Godfrey & Wooten – Aquatic and Wetland Plants of SE • Wunderlin – Guide to Vascular Plants of FL • ISB Atlas - http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu • Facebook Groups – Weakley’s Flora of SE US & FL Flora and Ecoystematics • Weakley – Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlanctic States http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm.