Luziola fluitans (Michaux) Terrell & H. Robinson var. fluitans. Common name: Southern Water Grass. Phenology: Aug-Oct. Habitat: Aquatic in water of natural lakes, slow-moving blackwater rivers, swamps, ponds, and other stagnant waters. Distribution: Var. fluitans ranges from ne. NC to c. FL and west to e. TX.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Taxonomy Comments: Var. oconneri (Guzman M.) G. Tucker occurs in the highlands of w. Mexico (Tucker 1988).

Other Comments: A very unusual grass, truly aquatic, with flexuous stems and unwettable, floating leaves. In addition to floating leaves (helpful in the field but not in the herbarium!), other useful characters include two secondary blade nerves on either side of the midnerve and virtually as prominent as the midnerve, and which extend onto the sheath where they occur with another 5 or so strong nerves; often with cilia 0.5-1 mm long at the summit of the ventral face of the sheath (an unusual place); and a hyaline ligule about 1 mm long on the same plane as the sheath (i.e., free from the base of diverging blades).

Synonymy ⓘ: = FNA24, WH3, Judziewicz et al (2000), Tucker (1988); < Hydrochloa carolinensis P.Beauv. — GW1, HC, RAB, S, SFla; < Hydrochloa fluitans (Michx.) Nash; < Luziola fluitans (Michx.) Terrell & H.Rob. — Ar, ETx1, FlGr, K4, Meso6, S13, Tx, Martínez-y-Pérez, Mejía-Saulés, & Sosa (2008); Zizania fluitans Michx. Basionym: Zizania fluitans Michx. 1803

Links to other floras: = Luziola fluitans var. fluitans - FNA24

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL (name change)
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL (name change)
• Great Plains: OBL (name change)

Heliophily ⓘ: 7