Eleocharis bolanderi |
Eleocharis albida |
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Bolander's spikerush |
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Habit | Plants perennial, densely cespitose; rhizomes caudex-like, mostly hidden by culms and roots, short, 1.5–3 mm thick, internodes very short. | |
Culms | subterete, 10–30 cm × 0.3–0.5 mm. |
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Spikes | ovoid, 3–8 × 2–3 mm; proximal scale clasping; entire, subproximal scale with flower; floral scales 8–30, 4–5 per mm of rachilla, 2–3 × 1.5 mm; apex entire; acute, often keeled in distal part of spike. |
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Flowers | perianth bristles 3–6, often unequal; from rudimentary to 50% of achene length; anthers 0.9–1.4 mm; stigmas 3. |
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Achenes | slightly to greatly compressed-trigonous, rarely thickly lenticular, 0.9–1.2 × 0.65–0.8 mm. |
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Distal leaf sheaths | persistent, not splitting; apex obtuse, rarely hardened, lacking a tooth. |
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Tubercles | flat to shallowly pyramidal; lower than wide, 0.1–0.3 × 0.4–0.65 mm. |
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Eleocharis bolanderi |
Eleocharis albida |
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Distribution | ||
Discussion | Shallow, rocky, ephemeral streams. 1100–2100 m. BR, BW, Owy. CA, NV, ID; east to CO. Native. Eleocharis bolanderi is easily recognized in summer when it forms masses of dry, brown, dormant and apparently dead culms in dry stream beds. It is easily pulled up to expose its cespitose habit. The virtually flat tubercles are particularly distinctive. |
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Source | Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 240 Barbara Wilson, Richard Brainerd, Nick Otting |
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Sibling taxa | ||
Web links |
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