Eleocharis geniculata |
Eleocharis ovata |
|
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bent spike-rush, Canada spikesedge, capitate spike-rush |
ovate spike-rush, ovoid spike-rush, ovoid spikesedge, éléocharide ovale |
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Habit | Plants tufted, without creeping rhizomes. | |
Culms | to 45 cm × 0.2–1 mm. |
2–35 cm × 0.3–1 mm. |
Leaves | distal leaf sheaths persistent, firm, distally tightly sheathing, apex acute. |
apex of distal leaf sheath obtuse to acute, tooth to 0.2 mm. |
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. |
ovoid, 2–8 × 2–4 mm, apex acute (to blunt); floral scales 25–100+, ca. 10 per mm of rachilla, orange-brown, rarely stramineous, ovate, 1.5–2 × 1 mm, midribs often keeled in distal part of spikelet, apex rounded to subacute. |
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 present, rarely absent, (5–)6–7, brown, fairly slender, exceeding tubercle; stamens 2(–3); anthers brown, 0.3 mm; styles 2-fid or some 3-fid. |
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. |
0.75–1 × 0.6–0.85 mm. |
Tubercles | stramineous to whitish, umbonate to subconic, 0.2–0.4 × 0.2–0.5 mm, apex rounded to acute. |
deltoid, 0.3–0.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, 3/5 of to as high as wide, 1/3–2/3 as high and 1/2–3/4 as wide as achene. |
2n | = 10. |
= 10. |
Eleocharis geniculata |
Eleocharis ovata |
|
Phenology | Fruiting spring–winter (Mar–Dec). | Fruiting summer–fall. |
Habitat | Brackish creeks, canal banks, dune depressions, hammocks, irrigation ditches, lakeshores, lagoons, mangrove thickets, maritime mud flats, ditches, salt marshes | Fresh, often drying shores, lake and stream beds, bogs, tidal estuaries, disturbed places |
Elevation | 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) | 10–700 m (East), 1500–2000 m (Arizona) (0–2300 ft (East), 4900–6600 ft (Arizona)) |
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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AZ; CT; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; AB; BC; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; Eurasia
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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.) |
Although Eleocharis ovata has often been confused with E. obtusa, B. M. H. Larson and P. M. Catling (1996) showed that these species may be distinguished by non-overlapping widths of the tubercles, at least in Canada. The records of E. ovata in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are based on B. M. H. Larson and P. M. Catling (1996) and the records in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington are based on D. M. Hines (1975). Eleocharis ovata probably also occurs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 101. | FNA vol. 23, p. 103. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Eleocharis > sect. Eleogenus > ser. Maculosae | Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Eleocharis > sect. Eleogenus > ser. Ovatae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Scirpus geniculatus, E. capitata, E. caribaea, E. dispar | Scirpus ovatus, E. obtusa var. ovata, E. ovata var. heuseri |
Name authority | (Linnaeus) Roemer & Schultes: in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 2: 150. (1817) | (Roth) Roemer & Schultes: in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 2: 152. (1817) |
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