Fuirena squarrosa — hairy umbrella-sedge
![Plant form: Fuirena squarrosa. ~ By Troy University Herbarium. ~ Copyright © 2024. ~ Brian Keener, bkeener[at]uwa.edu ~ Troy U. Herbarium](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/fuirena-squarrosa-ha-troyherb1.jpg)
![Leaves and auricles: Fuirena squarrosa. ~ By Troy University Herbarium. ~ Copyright © 2024. ~ Brian Keener, bkeener[at]uwa.edu ~ Troy U. Herbarium](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/fuirena-squarrosa-la-troyherb1.jpg)
![Stems and sheaths: Fuirena squarrosa. ~ By Troy University Herbarium. ~ Copyright © 2024. ~ Brian Keener, bkeener[at]uwa.edu ~ Troy U. Herbarium](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Cyperaceae/fuirena-squarrosa-ss-troyherb1.jpg)
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Hairy umbrella-sedge reaches the northern edge of its range in New England. This very rare plant is known only from a single collection from a coastal plain pond shore on Cape Cod, Massachusetts; previous collections thought to be this species are actually Fuirena pumila. It is distinguished from this closely related plant by the fact that it is perennial; stems arise from short rhizomes; its flowers always have 3 stamens; and the leaf sheathes have coarse, stiffened straight and curving hairs.
Habitat
Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), shores of rivers or lakes
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Leaf blade width
- 4–10 mm
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence position
-
- the inflorescence emerges from an axil, or most of its parts do so
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is like a seed, and surrounded by scales
- Fruit length
- 0.6–0.8 mm
- Leaf position on plant
- some leaf attachment points are above the midpoint of the stem
- Perianth composition
- there are three bristles and three scales on narrow stalks, attached at the base of the achene
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 0.7–1 mm
- Floral bristle color
- the bristles are pale brown to brown
- Floral bristle number
- 1-4
- Floral bristle relative length
- the bristles are between one tenth as long as the achene, and equal in length to the achene
- Floral bristles
- the bristles are straight or slightly curved
- Floral scale hairs
- the floral scales have hairs on them
- Floral scale length
- 2.5–3.5 mm
- Floral scale nerves
-
- 2-5
- 7 or more
- Floral scale shape
-
- the floral scales are another shape than those given
- the floral scales are ovate (roughly egg-shaped)
- the floral scales are triangular
- Floral scale translucent
- the floral scales are opaque
- Flower number per cluster
- more than 20
- Inflorescence bract angle
- the bracts are vertical or angled only slightly outwards
- Inflorescence bract number
- there are two to five bracts per inflorescence
- Inflorescence bract position (Sparganium)
- NA
- Inflorescence bracts
- there are at least two bracts, and they are either flat or folded or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Inflorescence crowding
- the inflorescence is crowded together in one tight cluster
- Inflorescence position
-
- the inflorescence emerges from an axil, or most of its parts do so
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence shape
- the aggregations within the inflorescence are roughly circular (not flattened) in cross-section
- Inflorescence type
- there are two or more flowers, spikes or flower clusters on a branched inflorescence
- Perianth composition
- there are three bristles and three scales on narrow stalks, attached at the base of the achene
- Stamen number
- 3
- Stigma number
- 3
- Style division
- the top two thirds of the style is divided
- floral bristle barbs
- the bristles have tiny barbs on them
- plantlets budding at flower bases
- no
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene tubercle relative width
- NA
- Achene tubercle width
- 0 mm
- Capsule relative length
- NA
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 0.6–0.8 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is like a seed, and surrounded by scales
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, seed-like fruit) without a tubercle (a swelling or projection, usually of a different color or texture)
- Locules in capsule
- NA
- Seed length
- 0 mm
- Seed tail relative length
- 0 mm
- Seed tails
- NA
- Tubercle height
- 0 mm
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Underground organs
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
-
Leaves
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Leaf blade length
- 80–200 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 4–10 mm
- Leaf form
- all the leaves hold their form out of water
- Leaf position on plant
- some leaf attachment points are above the midpoint of the stem
- Leaf septa
- the leaf blades do not have transverse septa
- Leaf sheath hairs
- the leaf sheathes have hairs on them
- Pedicel length (Typha)
- 0 mm
- Stem leaf blade ligules
- the plant has ligules at the leaf blade bases
- Stem leaf blades
- there are fully-developed leaves with leaf blades on the main stem
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- in lakes or ponds
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 15–100 cm
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Stem texture near tip
- the stem feels smooth near the tip
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- historical (S-rank: SH), H (code: H)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
2. Fuirena squarrosa Michx. NC
hairy umbrella-sedge. Fuirena squarrosa Michx. var. hispida (Ell.) Chapman • MA; Cape Cod region; also reported from RI by Kral (2002a), but specimens are unknown. Peaty pond shores and other low, wet areas of the coastal plain. Known from a single collection in New England. The name Fuirena squarrosa has been misapplied to collections of F. pumila.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Fuirena pumila:
- plants annual from fibrous roots and flowers with 1-3 stamens that have anthers 0.5-0.7 mm long (vs. F. squarrosa, the plants perennial from short rhizomes and corm-like offshoots and flowers with 3 stamens that have anthers 0.7-1 mm long).
Synonyms
- Fuirena squarrosa Michx. var. hispida (Ell.) Chapman