OregonFlora: Eleocharis bella

	Eleocharis bella
	delicate spikerush, pretty spikerush
Habit	Plants annual, rarely perennial, usually densely tufted; rhizomes rarely evident, 0.2–0.3 mm thick, internodes 1–5 mm.
Culms	often ascending or spreading, 4-angled or terete 1–7 cm × 0.2–0.3 mm.
Spikes	ovoid, 1.5–4 × 0.8–2 mm; floral scales 4–15, 8 per mm of rachilla, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm; midrib obscure to somewhat keeled; apex narrowly acute to acuminate, slightly recurved.
Flowers	perianth bristles absent; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; stigmas 3.
Achenes	with about 6–10 rather prominent angles and longitudinal ridges, broadly ovoid; less than 2 times longer than wide; (0.55)0.65–0.75 × 0.3–0.4 mm; fine horizontal ridges distinct, 20–30.
Distal leaf sheaths	often splitting; apex acute.
Tubercles	mostly appressed; pyramidal, often depressed, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.25 mm.

	Eleocharis bella
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Exposed lake margins and streamsides, wet meadows. 0–2100 m. BR, BW, ECas, Owy, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; northeast to MT, southeast to NM, south to Mexico. Native. Eleocharis bella has sometimes been considered a variety of E. acicularis, which is a rhizomatous perennial with larger floral scales, anthers, and achenes. Hybrids between the two are unknown.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 240 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting
Sibling taxa	E. acicularis, E. bolanderi, E. decumbens, E. engelmannii, E. erythropoda, E. macrostachya, E. obtusa, E. ovata, E. palustris, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. quadrangulata, E. quinqueflora, E. rostellata, E. suksdorfiana
Synonyms	Eleocharis acicularis var. bella
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Eleocharis bella

delicate spikerush, pretty spikerush

Habit

Plants annual, rarely perennial, usually densely tufted; rhizomes rarely evident, 0.2–0.3 mm thick, internodes 1–5 mm.

Culms

often ascending or spreading, 4-angled or terete 1–7 cm × 0.2–0.3 mm.

Spikes

ovoid, 1.5–4 × 0.8–2 mm; floral scales 4–15, 8 per mm of rachilla, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm;

midrib obscure to somewhat keeled;

apex narrowly acute to acuminate, slightly recurved.

Flowers

perianth bristles absent;

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

stigmas 3.

Achenes

with about 6–10 rather prominent angles and longitudinal ridges, broadly ovoid; less than 2 times longer than wide; (0.55)0.65–0.75 × 0.3–0.4 mm; fine horizontal ridges distinct, 20–30.

Distal leaf sheaths

often splitting;

apex acute.

Tubercles

mostly appressed; pyramidal, often depressed, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.25 mm.

Eleocharis bella

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Exposed lake margins and streamsides, wet meadows. 0–2100 m. BR, BW, ECas, Owy, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; northeast to MT, southeast to NM, south to Mexico. Native.

Eleocharis bella has sometimes been considered a variety of E. acicularis, which is a rhizomatous perennial with larger floral scales, anthers, and achenes. Hybrids between the two are unknown.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 240
Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting

Sibling taxa