Bulbostylis barbata (Rottb.) C.B. Clarke, Cyperaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Scirpus barbatus Rottb.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: qiu zhu cao

English: hair sedge

French: bulbostylis barbu

Habit:  sedge

Description:  "Densely tufted annual without rhizome.  Culms slender, erect, 5-30 cm tall, 0.25-0.4 mm thick, leaved at base.  Leaf blades capillary to filiform, 4-10 cm long, 0.25-0.5 mm wide, acute at apex, glabrous or at times sparsely pilose on lower surface toward apex; sheaths 5-20 mm long, membranous, brownish, glabrous, the white-hyaline orifice with scattered long white hairs.  Inflorescence terminal head of 2 to 20 sessile spikelets, 5-15 mm across, eventually brownish.  Bracts 1 to 3, spreading, 1-2.5 cm long, setaceous with dilated base, glabrous or with scattered hairs on lower surface.  Spikelets sessile, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 3-8 mm long, 1-1.75 mm wide, angular, suddenly subacute at apex, subdensely 7- to 15-flowered, pale-brownish.  Glumes ovate, 1.5-2.25 mm long with recurved short awn, 1.25-1.5 mm wide, membranous, yellowish-green and eventually becoming rusty-brown, prominently keeled, ciliolate, occasionally puberulent on upper part. Achenes obovate-orbicular, trigonous, 0.6-0.75 mm long, 0.4-0.6 mm wide, pale, smoothish, obscurely finely reticulate with isodiametrical cells, rounded to apex; style-base depressed-globular; style filiform, 0.75-1 mm long; stigmas 3, shorter than the style.  Stamen 1; anther 0.25-3 mm long" (Dassanayake, 1983; p. 327).

Habitat/ecology:  In Sri Lanka, "in open dry or semidry sandy places, frequent on dune sands and sandy grounds near the sea shore, also in inland savannah and on rock outcrops, 0-1000 m altitude" (Dassanayake, 1983; p. 327).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Africa, India to southeast Asia and Malesia, China, Japan, Australia, southern US, Guatemala, Martinique and Venezuela (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Japan (offshore islands) Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands		Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (pp. 127-128) In open dry sandy places at low and medium altitudes, locally abundant, ascending to 1,500 m.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 63)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	native	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 21) Common
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Waterhouse, D. F. (1993) (p. 63)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Reported to be an invasive species in southeast Asia per Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.

Control:  If you know of control methods for Bulbostylis barbata, please let us know.