Plant Management in Florida Waters

Cuban club-rush

Scientific name: Cyperus blepharoleptos (formerly classified as Oxycarium cubense)
Origin: South & Central America to Mexico
Introduction:Late 1880s – Migratory birds / ship ballast
Aquatic community: Emergent
Habitat: Rooted in wet soils to floating mats
Distribution: Statewide – expanding
Management effort: Maintenance to lowest feasible level
2020 Acres Treated: 3098

Cuban club rush

Perennial, rhizomatous emergent plant
Rooted in the substrate – frequent floating mats
Forms dense rooted stands that can alter habitats and exclude native plants
Fragments drift into and colonize stands of emergent plants
- overgrow and outcompete other emergent plants
- dense floating / drifting mats shade out submersed plants
- restrict water flow and motor boat traffic
Reproduces by seeds and fragment that drift to and colonize new areas
- contribute to rapid spread and invasiveness
- fragments easily spread by boat traffic or water movement
Expanded from a few Florida public waters in the 1980s to more than half in 2017
Two biotypes in Florida – O. cubense forma cubense, and O. cubense forma paraguayense
- Not understood if different biotypes react differently to different herbicides and rates