Table Of ContentPhytologia{JMVLAiy 1993)74(l):35-42.
CLADIUMMARISCOIDES{CyPERACEAE) IN THEWESTERN FLORIDA
PANHANDLEAND ITS PHYTOGEOGRAPHIC SIGNIFICANCE
Edwin L. Bridges
FloridaDepartmentofEnvironmentalRegulation, 2600 BlairStone Rd.,
Tallahassee, Florida32399 U.S.A.
SteveL. Orzell
FloridaNatural AreasInventory, 1018 ThomasvilleRd., Suite200-C,
Tallahassee,Florida32303 U.S.A.
James R. Burkhalter
TheHerbarium, UniversityofWest Florida,Pensacola, Florida32514 U.S.A.
ABSTRACT
dadiummariscoides(Muhl.)Torr.(Cyperaceae),recentlyreported
asnewtothefloraofFlorida,isdiscussedforthesixcurrentlyknown
extantstationsfromSantaRosaandOkaloosacountiesinthewestern
Florida panhandle. In Florida Cladium mariscoides occurs in areas
ofpoorly drained, fire frequented wetlandpine savaimas on the outer
coastalterraces ofthe GulfCoastalLowlands. It is locally abundcmt
thereonwetpeatysandsofherbaceousdominatedecotonalcommunities
above pond cypress depressions and in open canopied pond cypress
swales. The associated species and phytogeographical significance of
theFloridapopulationsarediscussed.
KEYWORDS: Cladiummariscoides,Cyperaceae,Florida,phyto-
geography, disjunctions
Cladium mariscoides(Muhl.)Torr.isaperennial,rhizomatoussedgecom-
monly found in the northeastern states and Great Lakes region, but rare in
unglaciated areas (itshabitat and rangerelationships arereviewedin Bridges
& Orzell 1989, pg. 21-22). Although Florida is cited in the range of C.
35
PHYTOLOGIA
36 volume 74(l):35-42 January 1993
mariscoides by several published floras, and it is included in a Florida flora
checklist by Ward (1968), we have found no specific specimen citations for
thesereports. BruceHansen (pers. comm.) suggests that the Florida reports
may be attributable only to a specimen by Baldwin from "St. Mary's", with
no state specifically cited. This specimen may have been collected either in
FloridaorGeorgia. Anderson(1991)reported C. mariscoidesasnewtoFlorida
based upon a specimen collected by Burkhalter {11500, FSU,FLAS,UWFP)
from SantaRosa County, east ofGulfBreezenear Tiger Point Villagesubdi-
vision, where he first discoveredit on July 2, 1989. Orzell and Bridges later
collected C. mariscoidesfromthreeothersitesontheGarcon Point Peninsula
in Santa Rosa County. After the senior authors informed J.R. Burkhsdter of
one ofthe Garcon Point locations, he visited the same site and made a col-
lection. John Palis made a 1992 collection from an additional site near the
Orzell and Bridges sites on Garcon Point. Steve Orzell and Richard Filers
recently added Okaloosa County to the Florida range of C. mariscoides. In
addition to the collection sites reported below, Richard Filers (pers. comm.)
has reported observing this species at other wetland savanna sites on Eglin
AirForceBasein SantaRosa and Okaloosa counties. The collectiondatafor
ourFloridaspecimensareasfollows:
Cladiummariscoides{M\ihl.)Torr.(Cyperaceae). UNITEDSTATES. Flo-
rida: Okaloosa Co.: Open wetland savanna surrounding a pond cypress de-
pressionpond, N ofunnamed E-W road, ca. 0.3 mi E ofSanta Rosa Co. line,
ca.0.5miSofEast BayRiver,ca. 1.7airmiNWofjetpavedEglinRangeRd.
259 and US Hwy. 98 near Wynnehaven Beach; Eglin Air Force Base; NWQ,
SWQ,SEQ,SWQ,Sec.7,T2S,R25W;Navarre7.5'USGSQuad.;30°25'31"N,
86°47'40"W; Elev.26ft.; 12 Oct 1992, Orzell&R. Filers 21086{USF,TEX);
SantaRosa Co.: TigerPoint site: Roadside ditchand margin oflow roadside
through wet flatwoods, on S sideofUS Hwy. 98, ca. 2.2 mi E ofjet Co. Rd.
191-A (OrioleBeachRd.),ca.4.1miEofEcitylimitofGulfBreezeandca. 7
airmi Eofjet FL Hwy.399in GulfBreeze; SEQ, SWQ,NWQ,Sec. 27, T2S,
R28W;GarconPoint7.5'USGSQuad.; 30°23'31"N,87°02'57"W;Elev.21ft;
2 July 1989, J.R. Burkhalter 11480(UWFP); 16 July 1989, J.R. Burkhalter
11500 (FLAS,FSU,UWFP); 23 June 1990, J.R. Burkhalter 11980 (UWFP);
9July 1990, Orzell &Bridges 14239(FTG,FSU,TEX); Garcon Point sites 1-
4: (1) Burned herbaceous ecotone above pond cypress {Taxodium ascendens
Brongn.) strand on N side ofDickerson City Rd., 0.4 mi E of FL Hwy. 191
at a point 6.7 mi SW ofjet with Int. Hwy. 10, 0.6 mi N ofjet FL Hwy. 281
on Garcon Point; NEQ, NEQ, NEQ, Sec. 24, TIS, R28W; Garcon Point 7.5'
USGS Quad.; 30°29'04" N, 87°04'10" W; Elev. 16-19 ft; 9 July 1990, Orzell
& BHdges 14237(FLAS,FTG,GA,IBE,MO,NCU,S,SMU,TEX,VDB); 5 Aug
1990, J.R. Burkhalter12199{VWF?);(2)Openwetlandsavannasurrounding
apond cypressstrand,on E sideofFL Hwy. 191, ca. 0.4mi S ofjet FL Hwy.
281, on Garcon Point, ca. 4.5 mi S ofjet FL Hwy. 281 and Int. Hwy. 10 at
Bridges et al.: Cladium mariscoidesin western Florida 37
AvalonBeach,ca. 10miS ofMilton; SEQ,SWQ, SWQ, Sec.24,TlS, R28W;
Garcon Point USGS Quad.; 30°28'21" N, 87°04'56" W; Elev. 10 ft; 18 July
1992, Orzell & Bridges 20283(TEX);W(3) Open wetland savanna, planted in
slashpine,alongsideroad ca.0.2mi ofFL Hwy.281 at apoint 1.2miS of
jet Int. Hwy. 10 at Avalon Beach, N ofTrout Bayou and S ofIndian Bayou;
SW part of Sec. 10, TlS, R28W; Milton South 7.5' USGS Quad., 30°31'00"
N, 87°05'29" W; Elev.5-7 ft.; 31 July 1992, Bridges 20284W(TEX); (4) Open-
canopied pond cypress swaleinopen wetlandsavanna, on sideofFL Hwy.
191, 6.1 mi SofjetInt. Hwy. 10, 0.7mi SofWilson MemorialCh. and 1.2 mi
Nofjet FL Hwy. 281; SEQ, SWQ, Sec. 19, TlS, R28W; Garcon Point USGS
7.5' Quad.; 30°29'28" N, 87°04'05" W; Elev. 15-20 ft; 18 June 1992, J. Palis
s.n. (USF).
Only one other species of Cladium, C. jamaicense Crantz, occurs in the
southeastern UnitedStates. Since C. mariscoidesisnot treatedin Godfrey&
Wooten (1979) weprovideakeytodistinguishthetwospecies.
1. Plants 1-3 m tall, coarse, forming dense tussocks and often in dense
colonies; leaves 5-12 mm wide, stiff and flat, the margins and midrib
beneath harshly serrate (saw toothed); inflorescence a narrow panicle
3-9dmlong,theflairingraysbearingseveralfasciclesofspikelets;achene
obovoid tosubglobose, thetruncatebasenot flaring
Cladiumjamaicense Crantz
1. Plants 0.4-1 m tall, relatively delicate, stoloniferous, the colonies more
mm
open;leaves 1-3 wide,channeled,marginsonlyslightlyscabrous;in-
florescence0.5-3 dmlong,of2-4 umbelliformcymes,therays rigidlyas-
cendingandbearingsimpleglomerulesofspikelets;achenesmitershaped
(cylindric),thetruncatebases slightlyflaring
Cladium mariscoides(Muhl.) Torr.
AlloftheFloridasitesforCladiummariscoidesareonoutercoastalterraces
of the Gulf Coastal Lowlands physiographic region less than one mile from
tidallyinfluenced waterbodies includingPensacola Bay, East Bay, Escambia
Bay, SantaRosa Sound, and the East Bay River. The Garcon Point siteslie
within an extensive area ofpoorly drained, fire frequented, wetland pine sa-
vannathat,priortotimbering,wasdominatedbywidelyscatteredPinuspalus-
trisP. Mill.,with abundaoit pitcherplants {SarraceniaflavaL., 5. leucophylla
Raf.,and5.psittacinaMichx.),interspersedwithpondcypress Taxodiumas-
(
cendens)domeswamps,sloughsanddepressionalswales. Cladium.mariscoides
occursthereonwetpeatysand(Rainssoilseries-TypicPaleaquults)ofherba-
ceous dominatedecotones above Taxodium ascendensdominateddepressions.
Associated species recorded by the senior authors at the Garcon Point sites
include Amphicarpum muhlenbergianum (Schult.) Hitehc, Anthaenantia rufa
PHYTOLOGIA
38 volume 74(l):35-42 January 1993
(Ell.) Schnlt., Aristida affinis (Schult.) Kunth, Ariatida stricta Michx., Bal-
duina uniflora Nutt., Bigelowia nudata (Michx.) DC, Calamovilfa curtissii
(Vasey) Scribn., Clethra cUnifolia L., Coreopsis linifoHa Nutt., Ctenium aro-
maticum(Walt.) Wood, Eleocharis equisetoides (Ell.) Torr., Eriocaulon com-
preasumLam., EriocaxdondecangulareL., Eupatoriumleucolepis(DC.)Torrey
& Gray, Euthamiaminor(Michx.)E. Greene, Helianthua heterophylluaNutt.,
Hypericumbrachyphyllum.(Spach)Steud.,Hypericum,ciatifolium.Lam.,Hyper-
icummyrtifoliumLam., Ilexglabra(L.)A. Gray, Hex myrtifoliaWalt., Juncua
marginatua Rostk., Lachnanthea caroliniana(Lam.) Dandy, Lobeliafloridana
Chapm.,LophiolaoureoKer-Gawl.,LudwigiavirgataMichx.,Mitreolaangusti-
folia(Torrey&; Gray)J.Nelson,MyricaceriferaL., Oxypolisfiliformis(Walt.)
Britt., Panicum dichoiomum L., Panicum scabriaculum Ell., Panicum virga-
tumL., PinguiculaplanifoliaChapm., Pluchea roseaGodfrey, Polygala cruci-
ataL.,PolygalacymoaaWalt.,PolygalaluteaL.,RhexiaalifanusWaJt.,Rhexia
lutea Walt., Rhexia virginica L., Rhynchoapora comiculata (Lam.) A. Gray,
Rhynchoapora elliottiiA. Dietr., Rhynchoaporalatifolia(Ell.) Thomas, Rhyn-
choaporaplumoaaEll., Sabatia bartramiiWilbur, Sabatia macrophyllaHook.,
Sarracenia leucophylla, Sarracenia xmooreanaVeitch, Sarraceniapaittacina,
Scleriabaldwinii(Torr.)Steud.,SmilaxwalteriPursh,StyraxamericanaLam.,
UtriculariajunceaVahl., Xyria aerotina Chapm., and X. stricta Chapm. At
theTiger Point site Cladium mariacoideaoccurs on wet peaty sand (Rutlege
soilseries-TypicHumaquepts)inaPinus elliottiiEngelm.wetflatwoodswith
agroundcover dominatedby Aristidaatricta, andin aroadside ditchthrough
thewet flatwoods. Thehabitat, soiltype, and associated species at the Eglin
Air Force Baae site are very similar to the above sites, but a complete list
ofassociated species has not been compiled due to the late season collecting
date. We have recorded a total of 74 vascular plant taxa growing in close
association with Cladium mariscoidea(66 taxaat the Garcon Point sites and
32 taxaat TigerPoint). The Garcon Point siteshavebeen subjectedtofairly
frequentprescribedfire,whereastheTigerPointsitehas beenfiresuppressed
foranumberofyearsandismoredisturbed,therebyaccountingsomewhatfor
thedifferencesinnumbersofassociates. Anumberoftheassociatedspeciesat
theFloridasites(i.e.,Calamovilfacurtiaaii,Sarracenialeucophylla, Pinguicula
planifolia, Xyriaaerotina,Xyriaatricta)arerareorabsentoutsideoftheEast
GulfCoastal Plain.
TheonlyotherliteraturedocumentedrecordsofCladiummariacoideasouth
ofNorthCarolinaareinHorryCounty, South Carolina(Radford et al. 1968),
DoolyCounty,Georgia(Harper1905), BaldwinCounty,Alabama(Mohr 1901,
Wilhelm1984),andaquestionableTennesseerecord(Underwood,n.d.). Bridges
&Orzell(1989) citedspecimensfromthreeTexascounties(Anderson,Hender-
son, and Smith). Theranges of C. mariacoideaand C. jamaicenaeare known
to overlap only on the eastern coast ofthe Carolinas, from Dare County in
North Carolinato Horry County, South Carolina, and at the Floridaand Al-
Bridges et ai: Cladium mariscoidesin western Florida. 39
abamadisjunctlocalities. ThenearestregiontoFloridawhere C. mariscoides
isknown from several adjacent counties (i.e.,is regionallyfrequent to theex-
tent ofbeing documented for most counties by general floristic collecting) is
the northern part ofIndiana, a distance ofat least 1170 km from the region
ofthe Florida disjunctions. Within a 1000 km radius ofthe western Florida
panhandlesites, C. mariscoidesisknowntooccurinonlytencounties,threeof
theseinTexas(Bridges&Orzell1989), andatleasttwoothersrepresentedby
only a single collectionover 80 years old. The distribution of C. mariscoides
in the United States west ofNew England based on the published literature
isshowninFigure 1,withitsapproximatenorthernlimitinCanadaindicated
by a dashed line. The portion of the range eastward through New England
into Quebec, New Brunswick, and southwest Newfoundland, and a western
disjunct population in Saskatchewan, arenot shownon Figure 1.
ThereissomesimilarityinhabitatbetweenthewesternFloridapanhandle
sites and the locations for Cladium. mariscoides in Georgia (Harper 1905),
the wetland longleafpine savanna sites on the North Carolina coastal plain,
and with some other locations on the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain (Sipple &
Klockner1980)andtheDelmarvaPeninsula(Boone etal. 1984). Itseemsthat
manyofthe C. mariscoidessitesinthesoutheastern UnitedStatesarewithin
ashort distanceofthecurrentshoreline(excepttheTexasandNorthCarolina
mountain sites). From North Carolina northward C. mariscoides commonly
occurs in tidally influenced freshwater marshes or in wetlands adjacent to
tidal marshes (Alan Weakley, pers. comm.; Sipple &: Klockner 1980, 1984).
AlthoughtheFloridasitesarewellabovetidalinfluence,theycouldbeaffected
bymajorhurricanes.
NewlydiscoveredlongdistancedisjunctionsinthefloraoftheUnitedStates
may have great significance in the fields of taxonomy, phytogeography, and
conservation. Short disjunctions (ca. 100-300 km) can often be expected if
suitablehabitats for thespeciesexists and canbelocated, and thesekindsof
disjunctions arefairlyfrequentlyreported in the southeastern United States.
Disjunctsseparated bymoderatelength (ca. 300-600 km) usually havesignif-
icant differences in habitat, geologic history, and landscape ecology from the
situations in the more continuous range ofthe species and therefore become
criticalin understanding phytogeographic history, patterns ofspeciation and
floristicmigration, andconservationneedsforthenaturalcommunitiesofthe
region. Long disjunctions (600-1000 km) must be interpreted with caution
to discernwhether they represent: 1) recent adventives due primarily to hu-
maninfluenceontheflora,2) chanceintroductionsbynaturalprocesses {e.g..,
birdorwinddispersalofseeds) whichmight notproducelongpersistent pop-
ulations, or 3) longterm stable populations which may represent significant
genetic variation and have speciation potential as isolated populations, and
mayevenberelictsofaoncemorecontinuousrange nowisolated by climatic
changes.
PHYTOLOGIA
40 volume 74(l):35-42 January 1993
Figure 1: County distribution map for Cladium mariscoides in the United
States. The approximate range limit in Canada is indicated by a dashed
line. Theportion ofthe range eastward through New Jersey, New York, and
NewEnglandintoQuebec,NewBrunswick,andsouthwest Newfoundland,the
northern limit in Minnesota and Ontario, and a western disjunct population
in Saskatchewan arenot shownon themap.
Bridges et al.: Cladium mariscoidesin western Florida 41
Based on its abundance and relative dominance in little disturbed com-
munities at its southeastern United States locations, we interpret Cladium
mariscoidesasprobablyrelictualinthisregion. Thisinterpretationisstrength-
enedbytheuniquenessofitshabitatattheTexasdeepmuckbogsites(Bridges
& Orzell1989) andNorthCarolinamountainfens(Schafale&Weakley 1990).
These uniquehabitats arerarelyreplicatedin theregion. However,the habi-
tats ofthe southeastern coastal plain sites are apparently duplicated at hun-
dredsofsiteslacking C. mariscoidesintheinterveningarea. Therarityof C.
mariscoidesinthecoastalplainofAlabama,Florida,Georgia,SouthCarolina,
andNorthCarolinaisasyetdifficulttocorrelatewithscarcityoruniquenessof
physicalhabitat parameters. However,theremaybesomenotyetunderstood
correlationswith disturbancefactors andfirehistory. Allofthe Garcon Point
sites axefrequentlyburned and C. mariscoidesresponds welltolow intensity
groundfires,withoutwhichinthesoutheasterncoastalplainitmaybeshaded
out by wetland broadleafevergreen shrubs and trees. Further study will be
neededinordertoadequatelyexplaintheexistenceofthisnorthernspeciesat
thedisjunct sitesneartheGulfofMexico.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Richard Hilsenbeckofthe FloridaNatural Areas Inventory and
Guy Nesom ofThe UniversityofTexas at Austin for their helpful reviews of
the manuscript. We appreciate discussions and information on the habitats
andcountydistributionofCladiummariscoidessuppliedbyAlanWeakleyfor
NorthCarolina,StephenYoungandAlSchotzforNewYork,andWelbySmith
for Minnesota. John Palis ofthe Florida Natural Areas Inventorygraciously
provideduswithhisfieldnotesandaspecimenofCladiummariscoidestocite
inthepaper.
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