Having a notorious relative brings with it some usually unpleasant baggage. Acquaintances, and the public at large, assume there is the likelihood that the genetic tie will result in similar behavior.
The negative expectations are reinforced by those celebrities which are in the news, usually for their questionable behavior. From a historical perspective Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart are an excellent example.
Lewis, the rock and roll singer, married his 13-year-old cousin and Swaggart, the preacher, made the front page of tabloids with his dalliances. It is difficult to discern whose reputation suffered (or benefited!) the most from the actions of the other. Swaggart and Lewis are cousins, so the proclivity could be seen as a family trait.
In panhandle Florida landscapes and wildlands, one of the top five exotic invasive weed pests is purple nutsedge. This grass-like plant, an import from areas in central and southern Europe, Africa and southern Asia, will quickly overtake native species and turfgrasses.
Cylindric sedge plants grow in sunny spots and flourish in sandy soils. With prolific seed production that usually stays close to the parent plant, dense populations will soon appear.
Its aggressive propagation is multi-dimensional. It emits slender rhizomes, barely under the soil’s surface, from the main shoot to expand its territory.
It also produces a chain of nutlets, each of which produces a new plant. If pulled, the root connecting the nutlets is thin and will break under very little pressure.
A botanical cousin of the infamous invader from distant lands is Cylindric sedge. Cyperus retrosus, as this perennial is scientifically known, has a distinctive seed head which starkly contrasts with turfgrass and other grassy plants in this region.
Like most sedges, it has long slender leaves, but there is a unique trait which helps identify this genus. Its stems have a triangular shape, while most others are round.
Occasionally confused with sandspurs, which is not a sedge, this sedge’s seed head has a spiky appearance. It is not a threat to bare-feet as the points are not sharp or stiff enough to pierce skin.
The seed produced usually does not travel too far, unless there is a very heavy flooding rain. As such, after a year or two there will be a cluster of these weeds growing in close proximity. Additionally, propagation is accomplished by rhizomes to fill in the gaps close to the parent plant.
During the spring and early summer, it is able to disguise itself and hide among lawn grasses, and it will take close mowing. The color of this sedge is slightly different from traditional turf and the leaf’s shape does not match, but it is rarely noticed among the thousands of grass blades in the typical yard.
Much like the preferred grasses for panhandle Florida’s yards, this species grows best in full sun exposure. To the consternation of turf snobs, this species will be green and flourishing when centipedegrass and St. Augustine are showing stress because of dry weather.
Cylindric sedge has a fraternal twin, globe sedge (Cyperus globulosus), which grows in the area also. The difference is its seed head is round or spherical.
While each of these plants can become pests, purple nutsedge far surpasses the other two for adverse results. A family’s genetic tendencies are hard to escape.
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