Eleocharis geniculata |
Eleocharis bernardina |
|
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bent spike-rush, Canada spikesedge, capitate spike-rush |
fewflower spikerush |
|
Habit | Plants tufted, without creeping rhizomes. | Plants perennial; rhizomes 0.5–1 mm thick, scales persistent, 5–8 mm, membranous, not fibrous; resting buds absent (non-resting buds on rhizome apex ellipsoid, 10 × 2–5 mm); caudices present, hard, 1–2 mm thick. |
Culms | to 45 cm × 0.2–1 mm. |
markedly arched, not spirally twisted, not contracted near spikelet, when dry usually with several blunt to acute ridges and sulcate, subterete to slightly compressed, to 2 times as wide as thick, 5–15 cm × 0.5–1 mm, firm to hard; culm tufts not proximally bulbous. |
Leaves | distal leaf sheaths persistent, firm, distally tightly sheathing, apex acute. |
distal leaf sheaths brown to reddish proximally, stramineous to reddish distally, apex sometimes reddish, membranous to papery. |
Spikelets | orbicular to ovoid, 1–9 × 1–4 mm, apex rounded to acute; proximal scale without flower, not amplexicaulous; floral scales to 125, 11–14 per mm of rachilla, tightly appressed, dark red-brown to stramineous, ovate to elliptic, 0.8–3 × 0.6–2(–2.3) mm, membranous to cartilaginous, apex rounded to acute. |
3–6 × 2–4 mm; proximal scale empty, 2.5–4 mm, 1/2 or more as long as spikelet; floral scales 4–9 per spikelet, 3.5–5 × 2 mm. |
Flowers | perianth bristles (0–)4–8, typically 7, red-brown, rarely whitish, vestigial to much exceeding tubercle, typically equaling achene, spinules few to dense; styles 2-fid. |
perianth bristles 4–7, very unequal, some shorter than 1/2 of achene, stout and smooth, others equaling or exceeding tubercle, very slender and densely spinulose; anthers 1–1.5 mm. |
Achenes | brown ripening to black, biconvex, orbicular to obpyriform, 0.5–1.1 × 0.3–0.7 mm, apex rarely constricted proximal to tubercle, very finely reticulate at 40X. |
medium brown, equilaterally trigonous to compressed trigonous or some biconvex, 1.5–2.1 × 0.9–1.2 mm, beak 0.2–0.3 × 0.3–0.4 mm. |
Tubercles | stramineous to whitish, umbonate to subconic, 0.2–0.4 × 0.2–0.5 mm, apex rounded to acute. |
0.25–0.5 × 0.15–0.2 mm. |
2n | = 10. |
|
Eleocharis geniculata |
Eleocharis bernardina |
|
Phenology | Fruiting spring–winter (Mar–Dec). | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Brackish creeks, canal banks, dune depressions, hammocks, irrigation ditches, lakeshores, lagoons, mangrove thickets, maritime mud flats, ditches, salt marshes | Wet meadows in conifer forests |
Elevation | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) | 2100–2700 m (6900–8900 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AZ; CA; FL; GA; IL; IN; LA; MI; MS; NE; NM; NV; OH; OK; PA; TX; ON; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Bermuda; Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands
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CA |
Discussion | The name Eleocharis caribaea (Rottbøll) S. F. Blake is considered by most contemporary authorities to be misapplied (K. L. Wilson 1990). Eleocharis geniculata has been reported from South Carolina; I have not seen a voucher. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. Although usually included in Eleocharis quinqueflora, E. bernardina is clearly more like E. suksdorfiana. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 101. | FNA vol. 23. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Eleocharis > sect. Eleogenus > ser. Maculosae | Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Zinserlingia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Scirpus geniculatus, E. capitata, E. caribaea, E. dispar | Scirpus bernardinus, E. pauciflora var. bernardina, E. quinqueflora var. bernardina |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Roemer & Schultes: in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 2: 150. (1817) | (Munz & I. M. Johnston) Munz: Man. S. Calif. Bot., 68, 597. (1935) |
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