Burke: Eleocharis engelmannii vs. Eleocharis bella

	Eleocharis engelmannii	Eleocharis bella
	Engelman spikerush	pretty spikerush
Habit	Tufted annual, 0.5-5 dm. tall, the culms 0.5-2 mm. thick, with many ribs.
Leaves	Leaves all basal and reduced to sheaths.
Flowers	Spikelet terminal and solitary, 5-13 mm. long, ovoid, many-flowered, usually over 40; scales spirally arranged, 1.7-2.5 mm. long, purplish or brownish, with greenish mid-strip and paler, translucent margins, the lowest one sometimes empty; perianth bristles 6-7, brownish, about equal to the achene, or wanting; stamens 3; style usually bifid, thickened at the base.
Fruits	Achenes lenticular, 1.0-1.5 mm. long, including the flattened tubercle, which is appressed to the summit of the brown, smooth and shining body of the achene.

	Eleocharis engelmannii	Eleocharis bella
Flowering time	June-September	June-September
Habitat	Marshes and other wet places, from sea level to moderate elevations in the mountains.	Shores, sloughs, wet meadows, and vernal pools.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Montana, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	E. acicularis, E. bella, E. bolanderi, E. coloradoensis, E. erythropoda, E. geniculata, E. macrostachya, E. mamillata, E. obtusa, E. ovata, E. palustris, E. parvula, E. quinqueflora, E. rostellata, E. suksdorfiana, E. uniglumis	E. acicularis, E. bolanderi, E. coloradoensis, E. engelmannii, E. erythropoda, E. geniculata, E. macrostachya, E. mamillata, E. obtusa, E. ovata, E. palustris, E. parvula, E. quinqueflora, E. rostellata, E. suksdorfiana, E. uniglumis
Web links	Local floras: BC, 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	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 engelmannii

Eleocharis bella

Engelman spikerush

pretty spikerush

Habit

Tufted annual, 0.5-5 dm. tall, the culms 0.5-2 mm. thick, with many ribs.

Leaves

Leaves all basal and reduced to sheaths.

Flowers

Spikelet terminal and solitary, 5-13 mm. long, ovoid, many-flowered, usually over 40;

scales spirally arranged, 1.7-2.5 mm. long, purplish or brownish, with greenish mid-strip and paler, translucent margins, the lowest one sometimes empty;

perianth bristles 6-7, brownish, about equal to the achene, or wanting;

stamens 3;

style usually bifid, thickened at the base.

Fruits

Achenes lenticular, 1.0-1.5 mm. long, including the flattened tubercle, which is appressed to the summit of the brown, smooth and shining body of the achene.