Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Fimbristylis globulosa (Retz.) Kunth

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: san xing piao fu cao

English: globe fimbry, globular fimbristylis

Habit:  sedge

Description:  Perennial, rhizomatous sedge 20-120 cm tall. Stems densely tufted.  Leaves of sterile shoots and young plants flat, to 1.5 mm wide, reduced to leaf sheaths on mature plants; ligule lacking.  Inflorescence apical, simple or compound, 3-10 cm long, with up to 10 primary rays and 2 or 3 short, erect, basal involucral bracts.  Spikelets 1-40 per inflorescence, globose to ovoid, 4-8 - 3-4 mm, many-flowered.  Fruit a 3-angled or biconvex warty nut, 0.8-1 - 0.6-0.8 mm  (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 31-32).

Habitat/ecology:  "Wet open places, swamps, pastures, generally <1000 m altitude" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 31-32).

Propagation:  "Nuts dispersed by water and birds; vegetative spread by rhizomes and ploughing" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 31-32).

Native range:  Southeast Asia (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 31-32).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 123) Voucher cited: Glassman 2484 (US)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	native	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 43) Vouchers cited: S.F. Glassman 2484 (BISH), L. Stemmermann 2928 (BISH), L. Stemmermann 6563b (BISH)
French Polynesia French Polynesia Islands	French Polynesia Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
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. (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	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)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 32)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	uncertain if introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 43) Weed of uncertain origin
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Comments:  "Serious weed in Borneo and common weed in India.  A weed of rice.  Cultivated in Malaysia and parts of Indonesia for matting."  (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 31-32).

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

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

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

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Glassman, S. F. 1952. The flora of Ponape. Bishop Mus. Bull. 209: 1-152.

Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. 2010. Checklist of the vascular plants of Pohnpei with local names and uses. Allertonia, in press. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 146 pp.

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

Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. 1998. Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy: weeds target list. Second edition. Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service, Miscellaneous Publication No. 6/98. 110 pp.

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