June 2009, Duval County. Wooly Bulrush (Scirpus cyperinus) Sedges – anything in the family Cyperaceae – are common grasslike plants that commonly occur in wetlands. They include the familiar sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense), the difficult-to-distinguish beaksedges (Rhychospora spp.), the often weedy flatsedges (Cyperus spp.), the tiny spikerushes (Eleocharis spp.), and the inflated Carex spp. One of the largest and most prominent sedges in central and north Florida is wooly bulrush. It is tall – often over six feet – and striking in flower or seed. The pendant spikelets have long perianth bristles, producing a “wooly” appearance. Wooly bulrush is a common sedge of wet flatwoods, hypericum marshes, cypress domes, and other acid, sandy wetlands. It is listed as OBL by both the FDEP and the NWI. | | |
|