Fimbristylis aestivalis (Retz.) Vahl, Cyperaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: xia piao fu cao

English: summer fimbry

French: fimbristylis d'été

Habit:  sedge

Description:  "Small annuals with fibrous roots; culms tufted, 3-12 cm tall, 0.3-0.5 mm in diameter.  Leaves few, blades linear-filiform, much shorter than the culm, 0.4-1 mm wide, glabrate to sparsely pilose, apex gradually acuminate; sheaths pale to yellowish brown, 5-15 mm long, usually pubescent; ligule absent.  Inflorescences compound, lax, 2-4 cm long and wide, rays 3-7, filiform, 0.5-2.7 cm long, each one terminated by a single spikelet; involucral bracts 2-3, shorter than inflorescence, pilose or glabrate; spikelets 8-15-flowered, ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 2.5-5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, subacute; glumes yellowish brown, membranous, ovate, 1-1.2 mm long, the keel green, apex mucronulate; style filiform, glabrous at base, occasionally ciliolate below stigmas; stigmas 2.  Achenes yellow, obovoid, biconvex, 0.6-0.7 mm long, faintly cancellate, apex rounded, base short-stipitate"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1404).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "apparently only sparingly naturalized and known from 2 collections from ca. 3 m in taro paddies...and one collection from a pond"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1404).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Native from Japan and China south to India, Malesia, and Australia" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1404).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. (2002) (p. 7) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H40020 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1404) Voucher cited: Herbst 5953 (BISH)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 37)

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)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 313) In marshes, paddy fields and other wet places.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Hafliger, E. (1092) (p. 37)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 162)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 162)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Fimbristylis aestivalis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Fimbristylis aestivalis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Fimbristylis aestivalis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Hafliger, E. 1092. Monocot Weeds 3. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 132 pp. plus plates.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Oppenheimer, Hank L./Bartlett, Randal T. 2002. New plant records from the main Hawaiian Islands. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2000. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 69:1-14.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).