| Author | Elliott | |
| Distribution | Coastal Plain and Sandhills, absent from northern portions of the former -- even though it ranges north to NJ.
Coastal Plain, southern NJ to central FL and eastern TX; central TN. | |
| Abundance | Frequent to common, especially in the Sandhills. Absence of records for the northern third of counties makes little biological sense, considering that it is found in several southeastern VA counties. | |
| Habitat | Shallow water and shores of impoundments, beaver ponds, natural lakes and sinkhole ponds; also in very wet blackwater streamheads. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting early August-October. | |
| Identification | This is our tallest yellow-eyed-grass, scapes typically 3-4 (-5) feet tall and leaves 1-2 feet long. The lateral sepals extend well beyond the scales and are deeply cut into a feathery fringe which is quite attractive. Small's Yellow-eyed-grass (X. smalliana) is not quite as tall (2.5-4 feet), lateral sepals are shallowly cut, and foliage has a lustrous sheen to it. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
Members of Xyris are easy to identify to genus, but can be a challenge to identify species. Careful observation of a few features with a hand-lens is usually sufficient. Close attention must be paid to the flowering head, which is composed of overlapping brown scales. Immediately behind each scale are two brown "lateral sepals"; the margins of these may be feathery or irregularly lacerate (cut into narrow segments) or finely cut into short, comb-like prickles. Lateral sepals may be hidden or a bit longer than each scale. The flowers themselves are usually of little diagnostic value, other than time of flowering -- morning vs. afternoon. Seed size and ornamentation can also be useful characters, but require a dissecting scope to see well. Note also whether leaves and scapes (stems) are twisted and the color of the basal portion. All species have 2-ranked leaves, but in some species the leaves are arranged in a broad, fan-like shape. Finally, note the leaf and stem surface texture -- whether smooth of with little pale bumps. See Godfrey & Wooten (1979) for detailed descriptions and drawings. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | Giant Yellow-eyed-grass | |
| State Rank | S2? [S3S4] | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | OBL link |
