Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.

Code

KYLBR

Growth form

Sedge

Biological cycle

Vivacious

Habitat

Marshland

China: Kyllinga brevifolia flowers and fruits from May to October.
Nicaragua: Kyllinga brevifolia flowers and fruits all year round.
West Indies: Kyllinga brevifolia flowers and fruits all year round.

Kyllinga brevifolia is a vivacious species that multiplies vegetatively by its trailing rhizome. It also produces seeds.

Kyllinga bevifolia can be confused with Kyllinga erecta subsp polyphylla (Cyperus aromaticus). It can be distinguished by its linear tracer rhizomes giving rise to aligned culms and by its 3 bracts, 2 of which are short and one long vertical, whereas Kylling erecta subsp polyphylla grows in dense clumps and has 3 to 5 large horizontal foliaceous bracts, some of which are inserted in the inflorescence glomerulus.

Kyllinga bevifolia can easily be confused with Cyperus obtusatus. It can be distinguished by fairly widely spaced culms, leaves with a blade as high as the culm, 3 bracts of which 2 are short and 1 is long and erect, and spikelets with two fertile flowers, whereas Cyperus obtusatus has denser culms, mostly bladeless leaves, all bracts very short with an obtuse apex and horizontal or reflexed. The spikelet contains only one fertile flower.

China: Kyllinga brevifolia grows in shrubby vegetation or forests, grasslands, swamps, meadows, mountain slopes, valleys, wet places along paths, ditch edges, shallow waters, river edges, wet places by the sea, rice field edges; near sea level up to 2800 m altitude.
Brazil: K. brevifolia is a common wetland species, tolerant of moderate shade
French Guiana: Kyllinga brevifolia grows in wet pastures.
Mauritius: K. brevifolia is a fairly common native species in ditches, swamps and other wet sites (riverbeds, banks, drainage channels, up to 1200 m altitude.
Pakistan: K. brevifolia grows in temporarily flooded grasslands and rice fields.
Thailand: Kyllinga brevifolia grows in wet to rather dry grasslands, roadsides, wastelands, edges of rice fields and forest plantations, sandy areas near the sea shore, from 0-1500 m altitude.
Reunion: K. brevifolia is a fairly common native species in ditches, swamps and other wet sites (riverbeds, banks, drainage channels, up to 1200 m altitude.
West Indies: Kyllinga brevifolia is a grassland species found in lowland grasslands in dry areas and in all grasslands in wet areas. It is often associated with Paspalum conjugatum.

Local harmfulness

Brazil: Kyllinga brevifolia is a weed in grasslands and various crops in wetland environment, such as rice.
French Guiana: Kyllinga brevifolia is an infrequent and scarce weed in wet pastures that are temporarily flooded.
Mauritius: Kyllinga brevifolia is not a weed of crops.
Reunion : Kyllinga brevifolia is a weed of wetland pastures in La Plaine des Palmistes.

Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Kyllinga%2520brevifolia