{"assessment":{"band":"Good","factor_identity":{"basis":"approved shared identity","growth_habit_source":"USDA PLANTS","name_used":"Cyperus polystachyos"},"factor_scopes":{"bees":"Southeastern North America","birds":"North America","caterpillars":"Host genera of native Lepidoptera with established South Carolina range; association and range overlap, not confirmed local feeding.","specialists":"Eastern North America","structure":"USDA species growth habit where matched; otherwise sourced atlas growth habit"},"factors":{"applied_insect_credit":0,"baseline_score":38,"composite":0.589,"insect_support":{"credit":0,"groups":{"ants":{"credit":0,"flower_visits":[],"label":"Ants","recorded_name_count":null,"recorded_names":[],"seed_interactions":[],"status":"unknown"},"beetles":{"credit":0,"flower_visits":[],"label":"Beetles","recorded_name_count":null,"recorded_names":[],"seed_interactions":[],"status":"unknown"},"flies":{"credit":0,"flower_visits":[],"label":"Flies","recorded_name_count":null,"recorded_names":[],"seed_interactions":[],"status":"unknown"},"moths_butterflies":{"credit":0,"flower_visits":[],"label":"Adult butterflies / moths","recorded_name_count":null,"recorded_names":[],"seed_interactions":[],"status":"unknown"},"other_hymenoptera":{"credit":0,"flower_visits":[],"label":"Other wasps","recorded_name_count":null,"recorded_names":[],"seed_interactions":[],"status":"unknown"},"other_insects":{"credit":0,"flower_visits":[],"label":"Other insects","recorded_name_count":null,"recorded_names":[],"seed_interactions":[],"status":"unknown"}},"interpretation":"One provisional point per additional documented insect group, capped at five. Flower visits are a resource-use proxy, not confirmed feeding or pollination. Missing evidence is unknown. Study volume and repeated records earn no extra credit.","maximum_credit":5,"version":"insect-support-1"},"pct":{"bees":0.24379652605459057,"birds":0.9720843672456576,"caterpillars":0.7295285359801489,"specialists":0.4323821339950372,"structure":0.5},"rank_pct":0.379,"raw":{"bees":0,"birds":22,"caterpillars":7,"genus_used":["Cyperus","Hemicarpha","Kylinga","Kyllinga","Lipocarpha"],"specialists":0,"structure":["Graminoid"]}},"fit_score":null,"native_basis":"native_inferred","rarity_adjustment":0,"rarity_policy":"Conservation status is displayed separately and never changes ecological scores, including when unranked.","reason":"Calculated with the shared rules using South Carolina host-range and shared ecological evidence.","reference":"NC native reference cohort, method 0.6.4; not a South Carolina percentile","score":38,"scoring_inputs":{"harm_penalty":0,"invasive":false,"invasive_rank":null,"native":true,"state_rank":""},"source_ids":["lep_sc","globi","bigbee","avian","usdahabit","robertson","antseed"],"status":"scored_provisional","version":"shared-0.6.5"},"condition_evidence":{"light":{"evidence_id":"fact:61b605df3ef8bc8a5bcb844f67184ebe8be9d7d3ad2dec8e45ee7c4f80e208c3","levels":[2,3,4],"policy":"selected-condition-categories-1","range":[2,4],"scope":{"kind":"region","region_id":"floraquest_nc_sc_ga"},"semantics":"documented_native_habitat_conditions","source_field":"habitat_light_categories","source_label":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","source_url":"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emountainworks.android.southeastfieldguide","status":"mapped_selected_fact"},"moisture":{"evidence_id":"fact:fefd9e9f4726bcdb64b06946f184ede06021245d137fce7547b04820a5c35a6e","levels":[3,4],"policy":"selected-condition-categories-1","range":[3,4],"scope":{"kind":"region","region_id":"floraquest_nc_sc_ga"},"semantics":"documented_native_habitat_conditions","source_field":"habitat_moisture_categories","source_label":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","source_url":"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emountainworks.android.southeastfieldguide","status":"mapped_selected_fact"}},"evidence":{"fit_score":null,"growth_habit":["Graminoid"],"invasive_status":{"status":"unresolved"},"native_status":{"status":"native_inferred"},"occurrence":{"county_fips":["45003","45013","45015","45019","45027","45029","45043","45051"],"meaning":"Recorded occurrence; not a county native-range assertion"},"quercus_score":null,"regional":{"county_fips":["45003","45013","45015","45019","45027","45029","45043","45051"],"growth_habit":"graminoid","growth_habit_source":"tnky_atlas","invasive":null,"invasive_evidence":[],"invasive_rank":null,"native":true,"native_evidence":[{"claim":"native","matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","scope":"TN-KY","source":"tnky_atlas","url":"https://tennessee-kentucky.plantatlas.usf.edu/plant/species/2080"},{"claim":"native","matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","scope":"L48","source":"usda","text":"HI:N L48:N PB:I PB:N PR:N VI:N","url":"https://plants.usda.gov/"},{"claim":"native","matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","scope":"NC","source":"nc_flora","url":"https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/"}],"native_status":"native_inferred","source_ids":["sernec:27017"],"source_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","source_refs":["SC-checklist-3.html","sernec_county"],"source_url":"https://sernecportal.org/portal/checklists/checklist.php?pagenumber=3&clid=3141&dynclid=0&pid=84&searchsynonyms=1","state_rank":null},"source_refs":["SC-checklist-3.html","sernec_county"],"source_url":"https://sernecportal.org/portal/checklists/checklist.php?pagenumber=3&clid=3141&dynclid=0&pid=84&searchsynonyms=1","state_rank":{"value":null}},"fit_inputs":{"light":[2,4],"moisture":[3,4],"ph":[4.5,6.5]},"fit_provenance":{"counties":"USDA PLANTS: recorded in 43 NC counties","light":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","moisture":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","ph":"USDA PLANTS"},"fit_record":{"band":"Good","condition_evidence":{"light":{"evidence_id":"fact:61b605df3ef8bc8a5bcb844f67184ebe8be9d7d3ad2dec8e45ee7c4f80e208c3","levels":[2,3,4],"policy":"selected-condition-categories-1","range":[2,4],"scope":{"kind":"region","region_id":"floraquest_nc_sc_ga"},"semantics":"documented_native_habitat_conditions","source_field":"habitat_light_categories","source_label":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","source_url":"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emountainworks.android.southeastfieldguide","status":"mapped_selected_fact"},"moisture":{"evidence_id":"fact:fefd9e9f4726bcdb64b06946f184ede06021245d137fce7547b04820a5c35a6e","levels":[3,4],"policy":"selected-condition-categories-1","range":[3,4],"scope":{"kind":"region","region_id":"floraquest_nc_sc_ga"},"semantics":"documented_native_habitat_conditions","source_field":"habitat_moisture_categories","source_label":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","source_url":"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emountainworks.android.southeastfieldguide","status":"mapped_selected_fact"}},"county_fips":["13049","13051","13065","13087","13101","13127","13155","13191","13211","21025","21035","21083","21111","21143","21157","21211","21219","21221","37003","37007","37013","37017","37019","37029","37031","37033","37037","37041","37045","37047","37049","37051","37055","37061","37063","37065","37069","37073","37079","37091","37095","37101","37103","37107","37117","37125","37127","37129","37131","37135","37141","37145","37147","37153","37155","37163","37177","37183","37187","37191","37195","45003","45013","45015","45019","45027","45029","45043","45051","47031","47047","47071","47075","47077","47079","47085","47109","47113","47161"],"fit_inputs":{"light":[2,4],"moisture":[3,4],"ph":[4.5,6.5]},"fit_note":"Shared sunlight, moisture and pH calculation; county geography is an additional layer. Missing source traits remain unknown.","fit_provenance":{"counties":"USDA PLANTS: recorded in 43 NC counties","light":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","moisture":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","ph":"USDA PLANTS"},"garden_suitability":{"default_excluded":false,"flags":[],"review_status":"not_assessed"},"invasive_rank":false,"native_eligible":true,"quercus_score":38,"state":"SC"},"garden_suitability":{"default_excluded":false,"flags":[],"review_status":"not_assessed"},"growing_observations":{"eol_usda":{"archive_doi":"10.5281/zenodo.22129810","matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","retrieved":"2026-09-30","scope":"Nationwide approximate species characteristics; tolerance categories do not specify sun hours or moisture requirements","scoring_allowed":false,"source_label":"USDA PLANTS via EOL TraitBank","source_sha256":"04bb6a5292502ddc757bb909f4151de4b9aaea042223dfb486ffe2a94a2564db","source_url":"http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CYPO","trait_evidence":[{"citation":"The PLANTS Database, United States Department of Agriculture, National Resources Conservation Service. http://plants.usda.gov/","eol_page":"https://eol.org/pages/49997587","field":"drought_tolerance","method":"Compares the relative tolerance of the plant to drought conditions to other species with the same growth habit from the same geographical region. Drought tolerance is defined here in the following fashion: Imagine that in an acre of land there are low areas that have heavy soil and tend to accumulate more soil moisture, and higher areas that have coarse textured soil and tend to accumulate less soil moisture. Some plant species are most frequently found growing in the higher areas with the coarse soil texture. These plant species are considered to be more drought tolerant than the species that are frequently found in the low areas with fine textured soil.","source_url":"http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CYPO","trait_id":"R133-PK288756254","trait_label":"drought tolerance","value":"low tolerance"},{"citation":"The PLANTS Database, United States Department of Agriculture, National Resources Conservation Service. http://plants.usda.gov/","eol_page":"https://eol.org/pages/49997587","field":"moisture_use","method":"","source_url":"http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CYPO","trait_id":"R133-PK288766473","trait_label":"moisture use","value":"medium"},{"citation":"The PLANTS Database, United States Department of Agriculture, National Resources Conservation Service. http://plants.usda.gov/","eol_page":"https://eol.org/pages/49997587","field":"shade_tolerance","method":"","source_url":"http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CYPO","trait_id":"R133-PK288785894","trait_label":"shade tolerance","value":"low tolerance"}],"values":{"drought_tolerance":"low tolerance","moisture_use":"medium","shade_tolerance":"low tolerance"}},"floraquest_carolinas_georgia":{"matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","retrieved":"2026-10-04T13:31:16.252589+00:00","scope":{"kind":"region","region_id":"floraquest_nc_sc_ga"},"scope_note":"Original regional ecological and identification evidence; no location-specific gardening adjustments.","source_label":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","source_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","source_record_id":1477,"source_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_url":"https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emountainworks.android.southeastfieldguide","trait_evidence":[{"field":"habitat_description","source_column":"HabitatText","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":"Low fields, ditches, and marshes."},{"field":"geographic_range_description","source_column":"Description","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":"Pantropical and warm temperate, north in North America to Maine, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma."},{"field":"phenology_source_text","source_column":"Phenology","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":"Jul-Oct."},{"field":"taxonomic_synonymy","source_column":"Synonymy","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":"[= Ar, ETx1, FNA23, Il, Mex, NcTx, NE, Pa, Tn, Va; > Cyperus microdontus Torrey — S; > Cyperus odoratus L. — S, misapplied; > Cyperus paniculatus Rottb. — S; Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. — GW1, WH3; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. holosericeus (Link) C.B.Clarke — K4, POWO; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. leptostachyus Boeckeler — NS; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. miser Kükenthal — NS; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. paniculatus (Rottb.) C.B.Clarke; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. polystachyos — NS; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. texensis (Torr.) Fernald — Bah, C, F, G, K1, Mo1, NS, RAB, Tat, Tx, W]"},{"field":"botanical_comments","source_column":"Comments","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":"A highly polymorphic species for which the infraspecific nomenclature should be examined critically: there are at least three infraspecific entities that R. Carter (pers.comm., 2022) refers to under the working names of C. polystachyos polystachyos , C. polystachyos hahnianus , and C. polystachyos texensis . Var. texensis is well known. It is a shorter plant than the others and is more widely distributed, occurring well beyond the coastal plain. C. polystachyos polystachyos is a much taller plant that appears to be restricted to the outer coastal plain – common throughout peninsular FL, northward into the FL panhandle, s GA, s AL, s MS, s LA, se TX (and probably in SC). C. polystachyos hahnianus is similar to C. polystachyos polystachyos in habit and most other respects except for the orientation of its spikelets: They are conspicuously fastigiate-pencilliform. In Florida, C. p. polystachyos and C. p. hahnianus do sometimes occur in mixed populations, which suggests that – as strikingly different as these plants are – C. p. hahnianus might better be treated as a form. Kükenthal’s description seems to match these plants going under the working name of C. p. hahnianus , and the type locality is Martinique (“insula Martinica”). However, I have not been able to access photographs of the type of Cyperus hahnianus Boeckeler, Flora 61: 138. 1878 [= Cyperus polystachyos var. hahnianus (Boeckeler) Kük.]. --Type: “Hahn. Herb. No. 700 – (Vidi in hb. reg. Berolin.) Insula Martinica.” -- Presumably at B."},{"field":"identification_notes","source_column":"IdentificationNotes","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":"Often difficult to separate from C. filicinus and occurring in similar habitats, although C. filicinus is generally more coastal. A highly polymorphic species; depauperate plants may resemble species in subgenus Cyperus , check carefully for 2-branched styles and biconvex achenes."},{"field":"heliophily_index","source_column":"HIndex","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":8},{"field":"regional_wetland_indicators","source_column":"WetlandStatus1..5","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"Organism","value":[{"source_column":"WetlandStatus1","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus2","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus3","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus4","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus5","value":"FACW"}]},{"field":"habitat_moisture_categories","source_column":"Attr2","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"GraphicKey","value":["Moist","Wet"]},{"field":"habitat_light_categories","source_column":"Attr3","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"GraphicKey","value":["Partial shade","Full sun"]},{"field":"graphic_key_source_attributes","source_column":"Attr0..25","source_database_sha256":"684f6b364ff9f3023aa61ed02ae50f6f6d6d4d3bcf76847b78ab769ae0453469","source_record_id":1477,"source_table":"GraphicKey","value":{"Attr0":"gr04","Attr1":"nc_cp,nc_pd,sc_cp,sc_pd,ga_cp,ga_pd,","Attr10":"4H23,4H43","Attr11":"b","Attr12":"4Bw2,4Bw4","Attr2":"Moist,Wet","Attr3":"Part,Sun","Attr3a":"y","Attr3a_subregion":"native_nc_cp:y,native_nc_pd:y,native_sc_cp:y,native_sc_pd:y,native_ga_cp:y,native_ga_pd:y,","Attr4":" 6-11","Attr5":"n","Attr6":"n","Attr7":"n","Attr8":"c","Attr9":"n"}}],"values":{"botanical_comments":"A highly polymorphic species for which the infraspecific nomenclature should be examined critically: there are at least three infraspecific entities that R. Carter (pers.comm., 2022) refers to under the working names of C. polystachyos polystachyos , C. polystachyos hahnianus , and C. polystachyos texensis . Var. texensis is well known. It is a shorter plant than the others and is more widely distributed, occurring well beyond the coastal plain. C. polystachyos polystachyos is a much taller plant that appears to be restricted to the outer coastal plain – common throughout peninsular FL, northward into the FL panhandle, s GA, s AL, s MS, s LA, se TX (and probably in SC). C. polystachyos hahnianus is similar to C. polystachyos polystachyos in habit and most other respects except for the orientation of its spikelets: They are conspicuously fastigiate-pencilliform. In Florida, C. p. polystachyos and C. p. hahnianus do sometimes occur in mixed populations, which suggests that – as strikingly different as these plants are – C. p. hahnianus might better be treated as a form. Kükenthal’s description seems to match these plants going under the working name of C. p. hahnianus , and the type locality is Martinique (“insula Martinica”). However, I have not been able to access photographs of the type of Cyperus hahnianus Boeckeler, Flora 61: 138. 1878 [= Cyperus polystachyos var. hahnianus (Boeckeler) Kük.]. --Type: “Hahn. Herb. No. 700 – (Vidi in hb. reg. Berolin.) Insula Martinica.” -- Presumably at B.","geographic_range_description":"Pantropical and warm temperate, north in North America to Maine, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma.","graphic_key_source_attributes":{"Attr0":"gr04","Attr1":"nc_cp,nc_pd,sc_cp,sc_pd,ga_cp,ga_pd,","Attr10":"4H23,4H43","Attr11":"b","Attr12":"4Bw2,4Bw4","Attr2":"Moist,Wet","Attr3":"Part,Sun","Attr3a":"y","Attr3a_subregion":"native_nc_cp:y,native_nc_pd:y,native_sc_cp:y,native_sc_pd:y,native_ga_cp:y,native_ga_pd:y,","Attr4":" 6-11","Attr5":"n","Attr6":"n","Attr7":"n","Attr8":"c","Attr9":"n"},"habitat_description":"Low fields, ditches, and marshes.","habitat_light_categories":["Partial shade","Full sun"],"habitat_moisture_categories":["Moist","Wet"],"heliophily_index":8,"identification_notes":"Often difficult to separate from C. filicinus and occurring in similar habitats, although C. filicinus is generally more coastal. A highly polymorphic species; depauperate plants may resemble species in subgenus Cyperus , check carefully for 2-branched styles and biconvex achenes.","phenology_source_text":"Jul-Oct.","regional_wetland_indicators":[{"source_column":"WetlandStatus1","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus2","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus3","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus4","value":"FACW"},{"source_column":"WetlandStatus5","value":"FACW"}],"taxonomic_synonymy":"[= Ar, ETx1, FNA23, Il, Mex, NcTx, NE, Pa, Tn, Va; > Cyperus microdontus Torrey — S; > Cyperus odoratus L. — S, misapplied; > Cyperus paniculatus Rottb. — S; Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. — GW1, WH3; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. holosericeus (Link) C.B.Clarke — K4, POWO; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. leptostachyus Boeckeler — NS; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. miser Kükenthal — NS; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. paniculatus (Rottb.) C.B.Clarke; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. polystachyos — NS; > Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. var. texensis (Torr.) Fernald — Bah, C, F, G, K1, Mo1, NS, RAB, Tat, Tx, W]"}},"usda":{"matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","retrieved":"2026-09-24","scope":"Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary","source_label":"USDA PLANTS","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/","usda_id":18756,"values":{"bloom_season":"Mid Summer","flower_color":"Green","foliage_color":"Green","fruit_season_begin":"Summer","fruit_season_end":"Fall","growth_architecture":"Bunch","growth_rate":"Moderate","height_ft":1.6,"leaf_retention":"No"}}},"light_range":["part shade","full sun"],"light_source":"FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team)","native_synthesis":{"claims":[{"claim":"native","matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","scope":"TN-KY","source":"tnky_atlas","url":"https://tennessee-kentucky.plantatlas.usf.edu/plant/species/2080"},{"claim":"native","matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","scope":"L48","source":"usda","text":"HI:N L48:N PB:I PB:N PR:N VI:N","url":"https://plants.usda.gov/"},{"claim":"native","matched_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","scope":"NC","source":"nc_flora","url":"https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/"}],"county_native_range":"unresolved","explanation":"Source scopes are preserved. State occurrence alone does not establish nativity; combined regional evidence is labeled estimated.","label":"Native to South Carolina (estimated from combined sources)","rule":"southeast-native-synthesis-1","status":"native_inferred"},"source_name":"Cyperus polystachyos","taxon_id":"taxon:b8984b09-faeb-5faa-a06d-b77d2926bd7e","revision":"publish:5809c037-0e9a-430a-8008-5ab6f69800c0","photos":[]}