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Fimbristylis cymosa R. Br.
Hurricane sedge, Hurricanegrass

Fimbristylis cymosa
Copyright by: Forest & Kim Starr

Family: Cyperaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Old World; probably introduced in Florida (see note below).

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Not Native, Naturalized

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Not Cultivated

Comments: While treated by some as native to Florida, Robert Kral (1971) states that this was first collected in the United States in southern Florida in the 1930s. It has quickly spread throughout much of peninsular Florida, especially in alkaline situations along the coasts.
Other data on Fimbristylis cymosa available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Fimbristylis cymosa has been found in the following 127 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bahia Honda State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Barefoot Beach Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bill Sadowski Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Section Present Not Native, Naturalized
Black Point Park and Marina Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blowing Rocks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Blue Heron Hammock, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bonair Beach Parcel, Martin County Present Not Native, Naturalized
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Cape Romano - Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Cayo Costa State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chapman Field Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Present Not Native, Naturalized
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crandon Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Curry Hammock State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dolphin Center and Dolphin Center Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dry Tortugas National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dupuis Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Eachus Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Enchanted Forest Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Estero Bay Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades National Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Fred C. Babcock-Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Frog Pond/L-31 N Transition Lands Present Not Native, Naturalized
George N. Avery Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Girl Scouts South Miami Little House Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gomez Present Not Native, Naturalized
Grassy Waters Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Highland Oaks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Highlands Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Homestead Bayfront Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jupiter Ridge Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lake San Pedro Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Klopp Tract Present Not Native, Naturalized
Little Hamaca Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Loggerhead Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lovers Key State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lucille Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Mangrove Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Matheson Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Middle Torch Hammocks Anderson, Lipchak, 3112 Parcels, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Middle Torch Hammocks Parcel 3063, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Milton E. Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Miramar Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Muscara Present Not Native, Naturalized
National Key Deer Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ned Glenn Nature Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nicodemus Slough Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area - FWC, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Oleta River State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pal-Mar Present Not Native, Naturalized
Peck Lake Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Phipps Ocean Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Picayune Strand State Forest Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pond Apple Slough Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Quail Roost Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ramrod Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rockdale Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
San Carlos Bay - Bunche Beach Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Scrub Oak Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Secret Woods Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sewell Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Snake Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
SOCSOUTH Present Not Native, Naturalized
South Dade Wetlands Present Not Native, Naturalized
Spoonbill Sound Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Stump Pass Beach State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sunny Palms Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Present Not Native, Naturalized
The Barnacle State Historic Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tigertail Beach County Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Torchwood Hammock Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trail Glades Range Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Island Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Virginia Key Beach Park and Marine Stadium Present Not Native, Naturalized
Wahoo Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Woodmont Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Zoo Miami Present Not Native, Naturalized

Fimbristylis cymosa has been found in the following 11 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Not Native, Naturalized
Charlotte County Not Native, Naturalized
Collier County Not Native, Naturalized
Glades County Not Native, Naturalized
Hendry County Not Native, Naturalized
Lee County Not Native, Naturalized
Martin County Not Native, Naturalized
Miami-Dade County Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Keys) Not Native, Naturalized
Monroe County (Mainland) Not Native, Naturalized
Palm Beach County Not Native, Naturalized

Fimbristylis cymosa has been found in the following 13 habitats :
Beach Dune
Coastal Berm
Coastal Grassland
Coastal Interdunal Swale
Coastal Strand
Disturbed Upland
Disturbed Wetland
Keys Cactus Barren
Mangrove swamp
Marl Prairie
Pine Rockland
Salt Marsh
Shell Mound

All Images:

Fimbristylis cymosa
Copyright by: Forest & Kim Starr
Fimbristylis cymosa
Copyright by: Forest & Kim Starr
Fimbristylis cymosa
Copyright by: Forest & Kim Starr