Arundinaria tecta

Last updated

Arundinaria tecta
Arundinaria tecta 66420695.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Arundinaria
Species:
A. tecta
Binomial name
Arundinaria tecta
(Walter) Muhl.

Arundinaria tecta, or switchcane, [1] is a bamboo species native to the Southeast United States, [1] [2] first studied in 1813. [3] A. tecta is very similar in appearance to many other Arundinaria species, making it hard to distinguish between species. [4] It serves as host to several butterfly species. [5] The species typically occurs in palustrine wetlands, [6] swamps, small to medium blackwater rivers, on deep peat in pocosins, and in small seepages with organic soils. [7] The species is only known to occur in the Atlantic Plain, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Mississippi Embayment, though it was earlier thought to exist in the Piedmont and Southern Appalachians as well. Specimens from the uplands are now thought to be a separate but morphologically similar species, Arundinaria appalachiana.

Contents

Description

Arundinaria tecta near Brooklyn, Mississippi, USA with topknot and panicles visible Arundinaria tecta 111816984.jpg
Arundinaria tecta near Brooklyn, Mississippi, USA with topknot and panicles visible
Arundinaria tecta near Columbia, South Carolina, USA Arundinaria tecta 164650536.jpg
Arundinaria tecta near Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Arundinaria tecta is a low and slender bamboo that branches in its upper half, growing up to 0.6–4 m (2 ft 0 in – 13 ft 1 in) in height. A. tecta features long primary branches usually greater than 50 centimetres (20 in) in length. [7] The leaves are 8–20 cm (3.1–7.9 in) long and 0.8–3 cm (0.31–1.18 in) wide, tapering in width towards their base. Both leaf surfaces are densely pubescent. The midculm leaves of A. tecta are longer than their associated internodes. The panicles are borne on shoots that grow directly from the rhizomes. Rhizomes feature continuous air canals. [7] Each panicle has a few clustered spikelets on slender branches. These branches have loose sheaths with minute leaves. The spikelets are 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) long and have five to ten flowers. [8]

The plant flowers from March to June.

Distinctive Arundinaria 'topknot' at the top of a culm Arundinaria tecta 51866294.jpg
Distinctive Arundinaria 'topknot' at the top of a culm

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Arundinaria</i> Genus of American bamboo, often referred to in American English as cane

Arundinaria is a genus of bamboo in the grass family the members of which are referred to generally as cane. Arundinaria is the only bamboo native to North America, with a native range from Maryland south to Florida and west to the southern Ohio Valley and Texas. Within this region Arundinaria canes are found from the Coastal Plain to medium elevations in the Appalachian Mountains.

<i>Sporobolus heterolepis</i> Species of flowering plant

Sporobolus heterolepis, commonly known as prairie dropseed, is a species of prairie grass native to the tallgrass and mixed grass prairies of central North America from Texas to southern Canada. It is also found further east, to the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada, but is much less common beyond the Great Plains and is restricted to specialized habitats. It is found in 27 states and four Canadian provinces.

<i>Poa trivialis</i> Species of grass

Poa trivialis, is a perennial plant regarded in the US as an ornamental plant. It is part of the grass family.

<i>Arundinaria appalachiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Arundinaria appalachiana, commonly known as hill cane, is a woody bamboo native to the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States. The plant was elevated to the species level in 2006 based on new morphological and genetic information and was previously treated as a variety of Arundinaria tecta. The shortest member of its genus, hill cane ranges from 0.4–1.8 metres tall with a habit ranging from diffuse to pluri-caespitose. It is one of only three temperate species of bamboo native to North America. Hill cane is common on dry to mesic sites on upland slopes, bluffs and ridges in oak-hickory forests, which distinguishes it from other species in the genus: Arundinaria gigantea typically appears along perennial streams, while Arundinaria tecta is found in swamps and other very wet areas.

<i>Briza media</i> Species of grass

Briza media is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae and is a species of the genus Briza.

<i>Festuca occidentalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Festuca occidentalis is a species of grass known as western fescue. It is native to much of the northern half of North America and is most widely distributed in the west. It is most often found in forest and woodland habitat. The specific epithet occidentalis is Latin, meaning "western".

<i>Bromus ciliatus</i> Species of grass

Bromus ciliatus is a species of brome grass known by the common name fringed brome. It is native to most of North America, including most of Canada, most of the United States except for some portions of the South, and northern Mexico. It is a plant of many habitats, including temperate coniferous forest. The specific epithet ciliatus is Latin for "ciliate", referring to the delicate hairs of the leaf blades.

<i>Bromus kalmii</i> Species of grass

Bromus kalmii, Kalm's brome, is a species of brome grass. It is a native bunchgrass in the North-central and Northeastern United States, the Great Lakes region, and eastern Canada. The specific epithet kalmii refers to its discoverer Pehr Kalm.

<i>Cordyline pumilio</i> Species of flowering plant

Cordyline pumilio, commonly known as the dwarf cabbage tree, pygmy cabbage tree or by its Māori names tī koraha or tī rauriki, is a narrow-leaved monocot shrub endemic to New Zealand. It usually grows up to 1 metre tall, although rare examples of 2 metres tall have been reported. It has long leaves and can easily be mistaken for a grass or a sedge. C. pumilio grows in the north of the North Island from North Cape at 34°S to Kawhia and Opotiki at about 38°S, generally under light forest and scrub. It was cultivated by Māori as a source of carbohydrate and used as a relish to sweeten less palatable foods.

<i>Arundinaria gigantea</i> Species of bamboo from North America known as giant river cane

Arundinaria gigantea is a species of bamboo known as giant cane, river cane, and giant river cane. It is endemic to the south-central and southeastern United States as far west as Oklahoma and Texas and as far north as New York. Giant river cane was economically and culturally important to indigenous people, with uses including as a vegetable and materials for construction and craft production. Arundinaria gigantea and other species of Arundinaria once grew in large colonies called canebrakes covering thousands of acres in the southeastern United States, but today these canebrakes are considered endangered ecosystems.

<i>Muhlenbergia capillaris</i> Species of plant

Muhlenbergia capillaris, commonly known as the hairawn muhly, is a perennial sedge-like plant that grows to be about 30–90 cm (0.98–2.95 ft) tall and 60–90 cm (2.0–3.0 ft) wide. The plant includes a double layer; green, leaf-like structures surround the understory, and purple-pink flowers outgrow them from the bottom up. The plant is a warm-season grass, meaning that leaves begin growth in the summer. During the summer, the leaves stay green, but they morph during the fall to produce a more copper color. The seasonal changes also include the flowers, as they grow out during the fall and stay healthy till the end of autumn. The muhly grows along the border of roads and on plain prairies. The grass clumps into herds, causing bush-like establishments in the area the hairawn muhly inhabits. The flowers are very feathery and add a cloudlike appearance to the top of the grass. It is native to eastern North America and can be used for a multitude of purposes, including ornamental gardening and farming. It was voted 2012 plant of the year by the Garden Club of America.

<i>Olyra latifolia</i> Species of plant

Olyra latifolia, commonly known as carrycillo, is a species of bamboo in the grass family Poaceae. It occurs in Mexico, Central and South America, and in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a common species, up to 5 m (16 ft) tall, growing prolifically in rainforests, particularly near the margins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canebrake</span> Thicket of any of a variety of Arundinaria grasses

A canebrake or canebreak is a thicket of any of a variety of Arundinaria grasses: A. gigantea, A. tecta and A. appalachiana. As a bamboo, these giant grasses grow in thickets up to 24 feet (7.3 m) tall. A. gigantea is generally found in stream valleys and ravines throughout the southeastern United States. A. tecta is a smaller stature species found on the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains. Finally, A. appalachiana is found in more upland areas at the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. Cane does not do well on sites that meet wetland classification. Instead, canebrakes are characteristic of moist lowland, floodplain areas that are not as saturated as true wetlands.

<i>Bromus sitchensis</i> Species of grass

Bromus sitchenis, the Alaska brome, is a perennial grass native to the North Pacific coast of North America, in woods and banks from Alaska to Oregon. It can grow up to 1.8 m tall, but is often shorter. Leaf blades are elongate, 7–12 mm wide, and as much as 35 cm long. Spikelets 2.5 to 3.5 cm long with between 6 and 12 flowers, awn is 5 to 10 mm long.

<i>Bromus latiglumis</i> Species of grass

Bromus latiglumis, the earlyleaf brome, is a grass native to North America. The specific epithet latiglumis is Latin for "broad-glumed", referring to the wide glumes.

<i>Bromus nottowayanus</i> Species of grass

Bromus nottowayanus, the Nottoway Valley brome or satin brome, is a brome grass native to North America. The specific epithet nottowayanus refers to the Nottoway Valley. The grass has a diploid number of 14.

<i>Festuca brachyphylla</i> Species of grass

Festuca brachyphylla, commonly known as alpine fescue or short-leaved fescue, is a grass native to Eurasia, North America, and the Arctic. The grass is used for erosion control and revegetation. The specific epithet brachyphylla means "short-leaved". The grass has a diploid number of 28, 42, or 44. This species was first described in 1827.

<i>Glyceria melicaria</i> Species of grass

Glyceria melicaria, the melic mannagrass or northeastern mannagrass, is a perennial grass found in the eastern United States. Its specific epithet melicaria means "similar to Melica". Its diploid number is 40.

Poa subcaerulea is a perennial grass occurring in North America and Europe. Its specific epithet "subcaerulea" means "bluish". Its diploid number varies between 54 and 109.

<i>Eragrostis mexicana</i> Species of grass

Eragrostis mexicana, the Mexican lovegrass, is an annual grass found from North America down to Argentina. Its specific epithet "mexicana" means "from Mexico". Its diploid number is 60.

References

  1. 1 2 "Plants Profile for Arundinaria tecta (switchcane)". USDA Plants Database. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
  2. Hitchcock, Albert Spear; Chase, Agnes (1951). Manual of the Grasses of the United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture. p.  824. Arundinaria tecta.
  3. Ohrnberger, D. (1999-01-29). The Bamboos of the World: Annotated Nomenclature and Literature of the Species and the Higher and Lower Taxa. Elsevier. ISBN   9780080542386.
  4. Brown, Clair A. (1929). "Notes on Arundinaria". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 56 (6): 315–318. doi:10.2307/2480773. ISSN   0040-9618. JSTOR   2480773.
  5. Scott, James A. (1992-03-01). The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press. ISBN   9780804720137.
  6. Burton Edward Livingston, Forrest Shreve (1921). The Distribution of Vegetation in the United States: As Related to Climatic Conditions. Carnegie Institution of Washington publication. Vol. 284. Carnegie institution of Washington. p. 85.
  7. 1 2 3 Triplett, J.K.; Weakley, A.S.; Clark, L.G. (2006), "Hill cane (Arundinaria appalachiana), a new species of bamboo (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from the southern Appalachian Mountains" (PDF), Sida, 22 (1): 79–95, archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-30, retrieved 2007-07-14
  8. Merrit Lyndon Fernald (1970). R. C. Rollins (ed.). Gray's Manual of Botany (Eighth (Centennial) - Illustrated ed.). D. Van Nostrand Company. p. 96. ISBN   0-442-22250-5.