Record of Fimbristylis ovata (Cyperaceae) from Jejudo Island, Korea

Article information

Korean J. Pl. Taxon. 2020;50(1):80-83

Publication date (electronic) : 2020 March 31

doi : https://doi.org/10.11110/kjpt.2020.50.1.80

Okihito YANO, Yuki TAMURA, Yuna YAMAJI, Kyong-Sook CHUNG¹, Hyoung-Tak IM²

Graduate School of Biosphere-Geosphere Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama 700-0005, Japan

¹Department of Medicinal Plant Science, Jungwon University, Goesan-gun, Chungbuk 28024, Korea

²Department of Biology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea

^*Author for correspondence: oki.yano@gmail.com

Received 2020 January 24; Revised 2020 March 13; Accepted 2020 March 17.

Fimbristylis ovata (Burm.f.) J. Kern (often treated as a synonym of F. monostachyos (L.) Haask. or Abildgaardia ovata (Burm.f.) Kral) (Cyperaceae) is a perennial herb which mainly grows in sunny coastal grasslands in the tropics and subtropics (Govaerts et al., 2007; Hoshino et al., 2011).

In Korea, Nakai (1914) reported this species as growing in grasslands on Jeju Island, based on a specimen in the herbarium of University of Tokyo (TI). Ohwi (1944) also cited a specimen of this species from Jeju Island in Kyoto University herbarium (KYO) (Ins. Quelpaert: E. Taquet no. 2081). Since then, this species is only mentioned from Korea in publications by Lee (1980) and Oh (2007). Lee (1980) gave an illustrated account of the morphological features, whilst Oh (2007) included the name in a species list, noting “Lee (1980) reported the occurrence of F. monostachya in Korea, but I have not seen any specimens of it.” Therefore, the distribution of this species in Korea has been uncertain because specimens from Korea could not be confirmed. Recently, Kim and Kim (2018) discovered F. ovata growing in the grasslands on Marado Island, located to the south of Jeju Island, the most southern part of Korea. However, the distribution of this species from other localities in Korea was still uncertain.

During a field expedition in 2019, we found F. ovata from two localities in Jejudo Island, and the north side in Marado Island (Fig. 1). In Jejudo Island this species was found growing in sunny grasslands along the northern and eastern coast in Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si (Figs. 1, 2). Many individuals were found in one population A on the northern coast (Fig. 1A), but for the other population B on the eastern coast few plants were seen (Fig. 1B). In population A of the northern coast, this species grew with coastal plants; e.g., F. ferruginea (L.) Vahl var. sieboldii (Miq. ex Franch. et Sav.) Ohwi, Setaria viridis (L.) P. Beauv. var. pachystachys (Franch. et Sav.) Makino et Nemoto (Poaceae), Sedum japonicum Siebold ex Miq. subsp. oryzifolium (Makino) H. Ohba var. oryzifolium (Makino) H. Ohba (Crassulaceae), Hibiscus hamabo Siebold et Zucc. (Malvaceae), Vitex rotundifolia L.f. (Lamiaceae), Aster hispidus Thunb. (Astaraceae) (Figs. 1A, 2C). We also identified the following plants around population A; Vitis ficifolia Bunge var. sinuata (Regel) H. Hara (Vitaceae), Lotus corniculatus L. var. japonicus Regel, Rhynchosia volubilis Lour., Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi et H. Ohashi var. nipponensis (Ohwi) Ohwi et H. Ohashi (Fabaceae), Plantago virginica L. (Plantaginaceae), Isodon inflexus (Thunb.) Kudô (Lamiaceae), and Artemisia capillaris Thunb. (Astaraceae). In population B of the eastern coast, this species grew with Poaceae (e.g., Zoysia japonica Steud., Z. pacifica (Goudswaard) M. Hotta et Kuroki, Ischaemum anthephoroides (Steud.) Miq., Setaria viridis var. pachystachys), A. hispidus, Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. (Apiaceae), and Eurya emarginata (Thunb.) Makino (Ternstroemiaceae) (Figs. 1B, 2A, D). We also identified the following plants around population B; Cyperus cyperoides (L.) Kuntze (Cyperaceae), Boehmeria pannosa Nakai et Satake (Urticaceae), Carpinus turczaninovii Hance (Betulaceae), Hedyotis biflora (L.) Lam. var. parvifolia Hook. et Arn. (Rubiaceae), P. virginica, and Cnidium japonicum Miq. (Apiaceae). In Marado Island, a lot of individuals were seen growing with F. ferruginea var. sieboldii, S. viridis var. pachystachys, S. japonicum subsp. oryzifolium var. oryzifolium, and Peucedanum japonicum Thunb. var. japonicum (Apiaceae) in the grasslands on the north side (Fig. 1C): the location previously reported by Kim and Kim (2018). Voucher specimens of F. ovata are kept in the Herbarium of the Okayama University of Science (OKAY) and the Korea National Arboretum herbarium (KH).

Fig. 1.

Distribution map of Fimbristylis ovata in Korea. A and B, Two populations of northern and eastern coast in Gujwa-eup, Jejusi, Jejudo Island, respectively; C, Marado Island.

Fig. 2.

Photograph of Fimbristylis ovata from Jejudo Island. A. Whole plants. B. Flowering spike. C. Habitat in population A of northern coast. D. Habitat in population B of eastern coast.

We also examined the herbarium specimen of this species in TI, KYO, KH, and the herbarium of the Korean National Institute of Biological Resources (KB). In TI and KYO, we found the specimens cited by Nakai (1914) and Ohwi (1944) respectively. These specimens are duplicates of the collection from Gapari (now Gapado Island and Marado Island) in Quelpaert by Taquet in 14 Sep 1908. No specimens of this species were found in KH and KB, confirming a previous report by Kim and Kim (2018). Therefore, this species is considered to be a rare and endangered plant in Korea, limited in distribution in Korea to Jejudo and Marado Islands.