Burke: Schoenoplectus pungens vs. Schoenoplectus saximontanus

	Schoenoplectus pungens	Schoenoplectus saximontanus
	chairmaker's clubrush, common three square	Rocky Mountain bulrush
Habit	Herbaceous perennials from rhizomes, the culms triangular, 1.5-10 dm. tall, somewhat scattered.
Leaves	Leaves several, all near the base, firm, usually elongate and channeled or folded and 1-2 mm. wide, or flat and 2-4 mm. wide.
Flowers	: Inflorescence a compact cluster of 1-6 sessile spikelets, 7-20 mm. long, subtended by a green bract 2-15 cm. long, like a continuation of the stem; flowers subtended by thin, translucent scales, yellowish- or reddish-brown to blackish-purple, the mid-rib exerted as a short awn; perianth bristles 4-6, unequal; stamens usually 3; style bifid or trifid.
Fruits	Achenes 2.2-3.3 mm. long, including the stylar beak, and 1.6-2.3 mm. wide.

	Schoenoplectus pungens	Schoenoplectus saximontanus
Flowering time	May-August	June-August
Habitat	Marshes and wet, low ground; tolerent of alkali.	Sloughs and damp lake shores.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Atlantic Coast; Europe. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades in eastern Washington; south-central British Columbia, Spokane County in WA, also in California, the southern Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Great Lakes region. [WildflowerSearch map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Threatened in Washington (WANHP)
Sibling taxa	S. acutus, S. americanus, S. heterochaetus, S. ×kuekenthalianus, S. mucronatus, S. saximontanus, S. subterminalis, S. tabernaemontani, S. triqueter	S. acutus, S. americanus, S. heterochaetus, S. ×kuekenthalianus, S. mucronatus, S. pungens, S. subterminalis, S. tabernaemontani, S. triqueter
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: 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

Schoenoplectus pungens

Schoenoplectus saximontanus

chairmaker's clubrush, common three square

Rocky Mountain bulrush

Habit

Herbaceous perennials from rhizomes, the culms triangular, 1.5-10 dm. tall, somewhat scattered.

Leaves

Leaves several, all near the base, firm, usually elongate and channeled or folded and 1-2 mm. wide, or flat and 2-4 mm. wide.

Flowers

: Inflorescence a compact cluster of 1-6 sessile spikelets, 7-20 mm. long, subtended by a green bract 2-15 cm. long, like a continuation of the stem;

flowers subtended by thin, translucent scales, yellowish- or reddish-brown to blackish-purple, the mid-rib exerted as a short awn;

perianth bristles 4-6, unequal;

stamens usually 3;

style bifid or trifid.

Fruits

Achenes 2.2-3.3 mm. long, including the stylar beak, and 1.6-2.3 mm. wide.

Schoenoplectus pungens

Schoenoplectus saximontanus

Flowering time

May-August

June-August

Habitat

Marshes and wet, low ground; tolerent of alkali.

Sloughs and damp lake shores.

Distribution

Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Atlantic Coast; Europe.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Occurring east of the Cascades in eastern Washington; south-central British Columbia, Spokane County in WA, also in California, the southern Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Great Lakes region.

[WildflowerSearch map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Threatened in Washington (WANHP)

Sibling taxa