Description
Synonomy- Fernald (1950) and Brown and Brown (1984) combined two species, Kyllinga gracillima (Pasture Flatsedge) and K. brevifolia(Shortleaf Spikesedge) under the name 'Cyperus brevifolius'. Delahoussaye and Thieret (1967) divided American plants known as 'C. brevifolius' into the two previously described species; C. brevifolius (=K. brevifolia) and C. brevifolioides (=K. gracillima). ' 'Cyperus brevifolioides'' is still widely used as a name for K. gracillima (e.g. Harvill et al. 1986). Kartesz (1994) and the USDA 'Plants' Database (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2002) use Rottbauer's original name, K. gracillima, as the correct one, but Bryson and Carter (1994) call this species 'Kyllinga brevifolioides'.
References to ''Cyperus brevifolius' from Chesapeake Bay wetlands (e.g Brown and Brown 1984; Fernald 1940; Harvill et al. 1986, Harvill et al. 1992) are here assumed to refer to K. gracillima, based on discussion by Delahoussaye and Thieret (1967) and Strong (1995, personal communication).
Potentially Misidentified Species - Kyllinga brevifolia; Kyllinga pumila (=Cyperus tenuifolius) both are widespread in southeastern North America, and are possibly introduced from the Old World tropics. They are known primarily from inland wetlands and uplands (Delahoussay and Thieret 1967). They have not yet been reported from intertidal regions of Chesapeake Bay. Kyllinga brevifolia was reported from ore piles beside Baltimore Harbor (Reed 1964).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantae | Magnoliophyta | Liliopsida | Cyperales | Cyperaceae | Kyllinga |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Established | Expanding | Introduced | Regular Resident | Unknown-Continental | East Asia | Shipping(Dry Ballast), Ornamental(Garden Escape), Agriculture(Packing Material), Natural Dispersal(Natural Dispersal) |
History of Spread
Kyllinga gracillima (Pasture Flatsedge), a native of East Asia, may have been introduced with Asian ornamental plants during 1876 Centennial exposition (LeConte et al. 1880 (where it was listed as 'Kyllinga pumila?'); Ferren and Schuyler 1980). The first intertidal marsh collection was in the Delaware River; PA 1932. By 1967, it ranged from CT to NC, mostly in coastal regions but with some inland records (Delahoussaye and Thieret 1967). Recent records suggest spread through the Southeast, west to AR and MS (Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998). It was found as a weed in ditches, wet lawns, flower beds in MS (Bryson and Carter 1994) and roadside ditches in KY (Mears and Libby 1995), and locally in lawns and ditches in VA (Ware 1996).
Kyllinga gracillima was first collected in Chesapeake Bay by Fernald in 1939, in James City County VA, on the Chickahominy River. It is now frequent in fresh tidal marshes and swamps of VA rivers, including thethe Potomac, Chickahominy, Rappahannock, Pamunkey Rivers, and reported from at least 7 tidewater VA counties (Delahoussay and Thieret 1967; Harvill et al. 1986; Harvill et al. 1992; Strong 1995). It has also been found in Upper Bay tidal freshwater tributaries: Northeast River, Cecil County MD (Naczi et al. 1986); Still Pond Creek, Kent County MD; Marshes near Eastern Bay, Queen Anne's County MD. (Sipple 1978; as Cyperus brevifolius). It is common in the fresh tidal Delaware estuary, PA-NJ-DE, where it was the only intertidal plant species increasing in abundance (Ferren and Schuyler 1980; Naczi et al. 1986).
History References - Brown and Brown 1984; Bryson and Carter 1994; Delahoussaye and Thieret 1967; Fernald 1940; Ferren and Schuyler 1980; Harvill et al. 1986; Krauss et al. 1971; LeConte et al. 1880; Mears and Libby 1995; Naczi et al. 1986; Natural Resources Conservation Service 1998; Sipple 1978.
Invasion Comments
Vector(s) of Introduction- Bird dispersal or dry ballast introduction from established populations in the Delaware River is likely. However, independent introduction from Asia in packing material (rice straw) cannot be ruled out.
Invasion Status- We consider Kyllinga gracillima to be an introduction to North America. Opinions have varied on its status. Fernald (1940) considered it native, with a bicentric distribution in North America and Asia. The USDA 'Plants' database treats it as native (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2002). However, its history and its rapid range expansion strongly suggests introduced status (Bryson and Carter 1994; Delahoussaye and Thieret 1967; Ferren and Schuyler 1980; Strong 1995).
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-oligo |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 120.0 | 120.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 300.0 | 300.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 480.0 | 480.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
Kyllinga gracillima (Pasture Flatsedge) is considered a potentially troublesome weed in MS (Bryson and Carter 1994), and is apparently spreading in fresh tidal wetlands and adjacent uplands in our region (Ferren and Schuyler 1980; Naczi et al. 1986; Strong 1995; Ware 1996). However, it does not appear abundant enough to have significant economic impacts in Chesapeake Bay at this time.
Referencess - Bryson and Carter 1994; Ferren and Schuyler 1980; Naczi et al. 1986; Strong 1995; Ware 1996
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Kyllinga gracillima (Pasture Flatsedge) is considered potentially a serious weed in MS and elsewhere in the southeast (Bryson and Carter 1994), but apparently is not yet at troublesome densities.
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
Kyllinga gracillima (Pasture Flatsedge;) is apparently expanding in range and abundance in Delaware and Chesapeake (Ferren and Schuyler 1980; Naczi et al. 1986; Strong 1995), probably because of an affinity for disturbed areas and debris. Its impact on native species has not been studied, to our knowledge.
References- Ferren and Schuyler 1980; Naczi et al. 1986; Strong 1995
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Impacts of Kyllinga gracillima (Pasture Flatsedge) on other introduced plant species are not known at this time.
References
Bronger, Cees; Haugen, Hans Aksel (1983) Vipestarr (Carex extensa Good.) i Norge, Blyttia 41: 143-148Brown, Melvin L.; Brown, Russell G. (1984) Herbaceous Plants of Maryland, , College Park. Pp.
Bryson, Charles T.; Carter, Richard (1994) Notes on Carex, Cyperus, and Kyllinga (Cyperaceae) in Mississippi with records of eight species previously unreported to the state, Sida 16: 171-182
Delahoussaye, A. James, Thieret, John W. (1967) Cyperus subgenus Kyllinga (Cyperaceae) in the continental United States, Sida 3: 128-136
Fernald, Merritt L. (1940) A century of additions to the Virginia flora, Rhodora 42: 390-498, -503-521
Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Ferren, Wayne R.; Schuyler, Alfred E. (1980) Intertidal vascular plants of river systems near Pennyslvania, Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 132: 86-120
Gleason, Henry A. (1963) The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.
Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur (1991) Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, In: (Eds.) . , Bronx, New York. Pp.
Godfrey, R. K.; Wooten, Jean W. (1979) Aquatic and Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States: Monocotyledones., In: (Eds.) . , Athens. Pp.
Harvill, A. M., Jr.; Bradley, T. R.; Stevens, C. E.; Weiboldt, T.F.; Ware, D.E.; Ogle, D. W. (1986) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Farmville, VA. Pp.
Harvill, A. M.; Bradley, Ted R.; Stevens, Charles E.; Wieboldt, Thomas F.; Ware, Donna M. E.; Ogle, Douglas W.; Ramsey, Gwynn W.; Fleming, Gary P. (1992) Atlas of the Virginia Flora, , Burkeville, VA. Pp.
Kartesz, John T. (1994) A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland., In: (Eds.) . , Portland OR. Pp.
Krauss, R.W.; Brown, R. G.; Rappleye, R. D.; Owens, A. B.; Shearer, C.; Hsiao, E.; Reveal, J. (1971) Checklist of plant species occurring within the hightide limits of the Chesapeake Bay, and its tributaries., , College Park, Maryland. Pp.
LeConte, John L.; Horn, George H.; Leidy. Joseph; Hunt, J. Gibbons; Meehan, Thomas (1880) Report on plants introduced by means of the International Exhibition, 1876, Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 32: 132
Mears, Randy L.; Libby, Garry (1995) New records of Cyperus from Kentucky, Castanea 60: 79-82
Naczi, Robert F. C.; Driskill, Richard J.; Pennell, Eric J.; Seyfreid, Nancy E.; Tucker, Arthur O.; Dill, Norman H. (1986) New records of some rare DelMarVa sedges, Bartonia 52: 49-57
1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse
Reed, Clyde F. (1964) A flora of the chrome and manganese ore piles at Canton, in the port of Baltimore, Maryland and at Newport News, Virginia, with descriptions of genera and species new to the flora of the eastern United States., Phytologia 10: 321-406
Resource Management Inc. (1993) National list of plant species that occur in wetlands., , Minneapolis.. Pp.
Sipple, William S. (1978) An atlas of vascular plant distribution species for tidewater Maryland, , Annapolis, Maryland. Pp.
1995 Introduced plants in the Chesapeake Bay region, conversation with Paul Fofonoff.
1995 ---missing info----. Conversation
Tyndall, R. Wayne (1983) Distribution of Cyperus difformis L. (Cyperaceae) in the Southeastern United States, Castanea 48: 277-280
Ware, Donna (January 1996) Introduced plants in the Chesapeake Bay region, telephone conversation, , Williamsburg VA. Pp.