Burke: Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani vs. Cyperaceae

	Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani	Cyperaceae
	great bulrush, soft-stem bulrush
Habit	Stout, herbaceous perennials from rhizomes, the culms 1-2.5 m. tall, soft, terete.
Leaves	Leaves few, toward the base of the culm, with well-developed sheath and short blade.
Flowers	Inflorescence umbel-like, open, with spikelets in small, sessile clusters or singly on the lax branches of the inflorescence; spikelets shiny, reddish-brown, 7-10 mm. long; principle involucral bract solitary, 2-8 cm. long, erect, like an extension of the culm, green; lesser bracts small, chaffy and brownish; scales subtending the flowers scarious, 2.5-3 mm. long, with linear, reddish-brown marks on a brown background, not wholly concealing the achenes; perianth of 2-6 fragile, barbellate bristles; stamens usually 3; style bifid or trifid.
Fruits	Achenes 2.0-2.3 mm. long, plano-convex or unequally triangular.

	Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani	Cyperaceae
Flowering time	June-August
Habitat	Marshes and muddy shores of lakes and streams at lower elevations; tolerant of alkali.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Atlantic Coast; also in Central and South America. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	S. acutus, S. americanus, S. heterochaetus, S. ×kuekenthalianus, S. mucronatus, S. pungens, S. saximontanus, S. subterminalis, S. triqueter
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 Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani

Cyperaceae

great bulrush, soft-stem bulrush

Habit

Stout, herbaceous perennials from rhizomes, the culms 1-2.5 m. tall, soft, terete.

Leaves

Leaves few, toward the base of the culm, with well-developed sheath and short blade.

Flowers

Inflorescence umbel-like, open, with spikelets in small, sessile clusters or singly on the lax branches of the inflorescence;

spikelets shiny, reddish-brown, 7-10 mm. long; principle involucral bract solitary, 2-8 cm. long, erect, like an extension of the culm, green; lesser bracts small, chaffy and brownish;

scales subtending the flowers scarious, 2.5-3 mm. long, with linear, reddish-brown marks on a brown background, not wholly concealing the achenes;

perianth of 2-6 fragile, barbellate bristles;

stamens usually 3;

style bifid or trifid.

Fruits

Achenes 2.0-2.3 mm. long, plano-convex or unequally triangular.