Marsh Fimbry. Summary. Protection Threatened in New York State, not listed federally.

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1 Marsh Fimbry Fimbrystylis castanea in fruit Scientific Name Family Name Fimbristylis castanea (Michx.) Vahl Cyperaceae Sedge Family Did you know? The genus name means fringed style and the species name refers to the dark brown, or castaneous, leaf bases (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2002). Photo credits: Stephen M. Young Summary Protection Threatened in New York State, not listed federally. Rarity G5, S2 This level of state protection means: listed species are those with: 1) 6 to fewer than 20 extant sites, or 2) 1,000 to fewer than 3,000 individuals, or 3) restricted to not less than 4 or more than 7 U.S.G.S. 7 ½ minute topographical maps, or 4) listed as threatened by U.S. Department of Interior. A global rarity rank of G5 means: This species is demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. A state rarity rank of S2 means: This plant is threatened/imperiled in New York because of rarity (typically 6-20 populations or few remaining individuals) or is vulnerable to extirpation from New York due to biological factors. Conservation Status in New York There are ten existing populations and most of them have over 100 plants with one very large population of thousands of plants. There are three additional populations from the early 1900s that have not been rediscovered and three populations from the late 1800s which are considered extirpated. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Marsh Fimbry (Fimbristylis castanea)

2 Short-term Trends Most of the populations have been doing well in the short term. There have been no recent surveys of the smaller populations to determine trends. Long-term Trends This plant has always been rare in New York and while 3 populations are considered extirpated others have been rediscovered. The trend may be downward in the future without control of Phragmites. Conservation and Management Threats The invasion of Phragmites is the largest threat at this time. One population is subject to trampling of the salt marsh. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Control Phragmites invasions in the salt marshes where it exists and prevent new incursions. Natural buffers should be established around the salt marshes to decrease pollution runoff and other direct human disturbances. Research Needs There is a need for research into the factors that control the population size of this plant. Habitat In New York, marsh fimbry has been found exclusively in high salt marshes, often at the landward edge, and in adjacent areas of open salt shrub vegetation (New York Natural Heritage Program 2010). Salt marsh and brackish marsh inland (FNA 2002). Brackish coastal marshes, seldom in alkaline sites inland (Gleason and Cronquist 1991). Associated Ecological Communities High Salt Marsh A coastal marsh community that occurs in sheltered areas of the seacoast, in a zone extending from mean high tide up to the limit of spring tides. It is periodically flooded by spring tides and flood tides. High salt marshes typically consist of a mosaic of patches that are mostly dominated by a single graminoid species. Salt Shrub A shrubland community that forms the ecotone between salt marsh and upland vegetation. Salinity levels are generally lower here than in the salt marsh (soil pore salinity ranges 7 ppt to 27 ppt), and the elevation is higher. Salt shrub does not usually develop on deep peat. More often, it occurs on a thin (0-10 cm) layer of peat, and soils share characteristics of both estuarine and maritime terrestrial settings. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Marsh Fimbry (Fimbristylis castanea) 2

3 Associated Species Salt-marsh False-foxglove (Agalinis maritima) Eastern Baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia) Inland Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) Beaked Spike-rush (Eleocharis rostellata) Wildrye (Elymus virginicus) Marsh Elder (Iva frutescens) Black-grass Rush (Juncus gerardii) Narrow Loosestrife (Lythrum lineare) Seaside Plantain (Plantago maritima) Sea Pink (Sabatia stellaris) Dwarf Glasswort (Salicornia bigelovii) Glasswort (Salicornia depressa) Saltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens) Eastern Annual Saltmarsh Aster (Symphyotrichum subulatum) Perennial Salt-marsh Aster (Symphyotrichum tenuifolium) Seaside Arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima) Identification Comments Fimbristylis is a genus of the sedge family (Cyperaceae) with only a few species found in New York. It is a perennial, clump-forming species, with deep-set stout leaf bases, growing from 80 to 150 centimeters tall. The leaves have dark brown (castaneous) bases and blades only 1 or 2 millimeters wide. The stems are taller than the leaves, and bear a (usually) compound infloresence with ascending branches, subtended by leafy bracts. The spikelets are brown and 5 to 20 centimeters long. Each bears flowers which lack a perianth and have bifid styles, maturing to brown achenes 1.5 to 2 millimeters long and finely striped/reticulate (FNA 2002, USDA 2011). Best Life Stage for Identifying This Species Although it may be possible to identify Marsh Fimbry in vegetative form, fruiting specimens are most easily identified. The Best Time to See This plant is best surveyed for when fruits are present, in late July through October. Flowering Fruiting Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec The time of year you would expect to find Marsh Fimbry in New York. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Marsh Fimbry (Fimbristylis castanea) 3

4 Similar Species Fimbristylis species might be mistaken for members of the genera Scirpus or Fuirena, which differ from Fimbristylis by having perianth bristles, normally persistent on the achenes. Only two species of Fimbristylis are known to persist in New York: F. castanea and F. caroliniana. F. caroliniana is much more common than F. castanea, and differs from it by being clonal with long slender rhizomes, and lacking the hard, leathery, dark brown leaf bases of F. castanea. Fimbristylis puberula var. puberula and F. autumnalis were once found in New York but are now considered to be extirpated. F. puberula var. puberula is rhizomatous, with mostly shorter spikelets (5-10 millimeters) F. autumnalis is an annual species with flat leaf blades. Both species lack theleathery, dark brown leaf bases of F. castanea (FNA 2002). Taxonomy Kingdom Phylum Plantae Anthophyta Class Monocots (Monocotyledoneae) Order Cyperales Family Additional Common Names Fimbry Rush Sedge Cyperaceae (Sedge Family) Additional Resources Links Florida Grasses Louisiana State University USDA Plants Database FIMBRISTYLIS+CASTANEA NatureServe Explorer NEA Google Images PLANTS Database NYNHP Conservation Guide - Marsh Fimbry (Fimbristylis castanea) 4

5 Best Identification Reference Flora of North America Editorial Committee Flora of North America, North of Mexico. Volume 23. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. 608 pp. References Fernald, M.L Gray's manual of botany. 8th edition. D. Van Nostrand, New York pp. Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp. Holmgren, Noel The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, and map unit tables. NatureServe NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA New York Natural Heritage Program Biotics database. New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, NY. USDA, NRCS The PLANTS Database ( 25 January 2011). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA USA. USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, PLANTS Database [USDA PLANTS]. Accessed Weldy, T. and D. Werier New York flora atlas. [S.M. Landry, K.N. Campbell, and L.D. Mabe (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research University of South Florida New York Flora Association Albany, New York New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY Phone: (518) acris@nynhp.org This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Aug 22, 2017 This guide was authored by NYNHP Conservation Guide - Marsh Fimbry (Fimbristylis castanea) 5