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Abildgaardia ovata (Burm. f.) Kral
Flatspike sedge

Abildgaardia ovata
Copyright by: Eric Fleites

Family: Cyperaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Peninsular Florida, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Old World tropics.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status: SNR

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Imperiled

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

South Florida History and Distribution: Ranked as rare in Rare Plants of South Florida (Gann et al. 2002), this small native sedge is known in South Florida only from the Miami Rock Ridge and the lower Florida Keys, primarily in pine rocklands. Using modern NatureServe criteria, we reranked this as imperiled in South Florida in April 2020.

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information.

Synonyms: A. monostachya.

Other data on Abildgaardia ovata available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Abildgaardia ovata has been found in the following 42 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Bahia Honda State Park Present Native
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Native
Big Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Native
Boystown Pineland Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Present Native
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Native
Chernoff Hammock Present Native
Colonial Drive Park Present Native
Coral Reef Park Present Native
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Doubtfully Present
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Dupuis Reserve Recorded as Present in Error
Everglades National Park Present Native
Florida City Pineland Assumed to be Present Native
Goulds Pineland Present Native
Hawk's Hammock Park Recorded as Present in Error
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Native
Little Hamaca Park Present Native
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Ludlam Pineland Present Native
Middle Torch Hammocks Anderson, Lipchak, 3112 Parcels, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Middle Torch Hammocks Parcel 3063, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Moreno Pine Rockland Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Native
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Native
Pine Ridge Sanctuary Present Native
Pine Shore Preserve Present Native
Quail Roost Pineland Present Native
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Native
Rockdale Pineland Present Native
Seminole Wayside Park Present Native
SOCSOUTH Present Native
Spoonbill Sound Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Native
Tropical Park Present Native
West Biscayne Pineland Present Native
Zoo Miami Present Native

Abildgaardia ovata has been found in the following 3 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Presumed Extirpated Presumed Extirpated
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native

Abildgaardia ovata has been found in the following 4 habitats :
Disturbed Upland
Marl Prairie
Pine Rockland
Rockland Hammock

All Images:

Abildgaardia ovata
Copyright by: Eric Fleites