Eleocharis bella |
Eleocharis torticulmis |
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beautiful spikerush, delicate spikerush, pretty spikerush |
California twisted spikerush, twist-stem spikerush |
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Habit | Plants annual, rarely perennial, usually densely tufted; rhizomes rarely evident, 0.2–0.3 mm thick, internodes 1–5 mm, scales not evident. | Plants perennial; rhizomes 1.5–2 mm thick, scales persistent, 7–9 mm, thinly papery, sometimes fibrous; resting buds unknown; caudices present, hard, 3 mm thick. |
Culms | often ascending or spreading, 4-angled or sometimes terete, sometimes sulcate, 1–7 cm × 0.2–0.3 mm, soft to firm. |
erect, markedly spirally twisted, markedly obliquely contracted near spikelet, when dry often with to 6 broad, rounded ridges on each side, greatly compressed, 3–4 times as wide as thick, 20–40 cm × 1.5–2.5 mm, firm; culm tufts not proximally bulbous. |
Leaves | sheaths stramineous, distal sheaths often splitting abaxially, slightly inflated distally, oblique, apex acute. |
distal leaf sheaths stramineous to medium (or dark) brown, papery, apex often dark brown to reddish, broadly obtuse. |
Spikelets | ovoid, 1.5–4 × 0.8–2 mm, apex acute; floral scales 4–15, 8 per mm of rachilla, colorless or reddish brown, midrib region green, ovate-lanceolate, not folded lengthwise, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, mibrib obscure to somewhat keeled, apex narrowly acute to acuminate, slightly recurved. |
6–8 × 2–3 mm; proximal scale empty, 3–4 mm, shorter than to equaling spikelet; floral scales 8–10 per spikelet, 3.5–5 × 2 mm. |
Flowers | perianth bristles absent; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm. |
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Perianth | bristles 0–5, unequal, rudimentary to equaling achene, the shorter stout, smooth or nearly so, the longer slender, densely spinulose. |
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Achenes | with angles and longitudinal ridges ca. 6–10, rather prominent, broadly ovoid, less than 2 times longer then wide, (0.55–)0.65–0.75 × 0.3–0.4 mm, apex blunt, trabeculae distinct, 20–30. |
stramineous to medium brown, thickly trigonous, 1.75–2.75 × 1–1.25 mm; beak 0.3–0.6 mm. |
Tubercles | grayish, mostly appressed, pyramidal, often depressed, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.25 mm. |
0.25–0.6 × 0.3–0.55 mm. |
Anthers | 1.8 –3 mm. |
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Eleocharis bella |
Eleocharis torticulmis |
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Phenology | Fruiting spring–summer. | Fruiting summer (Jun–Jul). |
Habitat | Bare, often drying soil of stream alluvium, lake margins, wet meadows | Fens, wet meadows, vernal ponds |
Elevation | 200–2900 m (700–9500 ft) | 1100 m (3600 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; WA; Mexico (Chihuahua)
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CA |
Discussion | Eleocharis bella and E. acicularis seem to be amply distinct; putative hybrids are unknown. The occasional plants of E. bella with evident rhizomes, which include the type, are otherwise identical to plants apparently without rhizomes. Eleocharis bella is very similar to E. cancellata. There is an Illinois collection from Peoria in 1901, from the alluvial banks of the Illinois River. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. Eleocharis torticulmis is known only from the botanically rich Butterfly Valley in Plumas County. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 110. | FNA vol. 23, p. 115. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Scirpidium | Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Zinserlingia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. acicularis var. bella, E. acicularis var. minima | |
Name authority | (Piper) Svenson: Rhodora 31: 201. (1929) | S. G. Smith: Novon 11: 250, figs. 2, 4E–I. (2001) |
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