Bulbostylis ciliatifolia

(Elliott) Fernald

Rhodora 40: 391. 1938.

Illustrated
Basionym: Scirpus ciliatifolius Elliott Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 82. 1816
Synonyms: Isolepis ciliatifolius (Elliott) Torrey Stenophyllus ciliatifolius (Elliott) C. Mohr
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 134. Mentioned on page 132, 133.

Herbs, annual or perennial, cespitose, slender. Culms to 40 cm, wiry. Leaves ¼–1/2 length of culms; sheaths stramineous to tan or brown, glabrous or scabrid on ribs; blades spreading to ascending, filiform, 0.5 mm wide, involute, margin glabrous or scabrid, abaxially glabrous or hirtellous. Inflorescences terminal, in simple or compound anthelae; scapes wiry, coarsely ribbed, glabrous or strumose-puberulent; longer primary involucral bracts with setaceous blades exceeding or exceeded by inflorescence. Spikelets red-brown to dark brown, lanceoloid to cylindric, longer than wide, 2–6 mm; fertile scales broadly ovate, keeled, 1–1.3 mm, apex acute, abaxially puberulent, midrib included or excurrent as mucro. Flowers: stamens 2–3; anthers narrowly oblong, 0.8–1 mm. Achenes mostly waxy gray, trigonous, obovoid, 0.8–1.5 mm, faces evenly papillate, finely rugulose or level; tubercle a small, dark, compressed-conic button.

Distribution

V23 211-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., West Indies (Cuba).

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Plants annual, 10–20(–30) cm; scapes mostly 0.5 mm diam.; anthelae mostly simple, open; longest involucral bract shorter than inflorescence; fertile scales dark red-brown or dull brown. Bulbostylis ciliatifolia var. ciliatifolia
1 Plants perennial, 15–40 cm; scapes mostly 0.5–0.7 mm diam.; anthelae mostly compound, open or dense; proximalmost involucral bract longer than inflorescence; spikelets red brown or pale brown. Bulbostylis ciliatifolia var. coarctata