The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

ovate spike-rush, ovoid spike-rush, ovoid spikesedge, éléocharide ovale

pale spike-rush, wrinkle-sheath spike-rush, yellow spikerush, yellow spikesedge

Habit Plants with creeping rhizomes 0.5–1 mm thick.
Culms

2–35 cm × 0.3–1 mm.

3–42 cm × 0.3–0.6 mm.

Leaves

apex of distal leaf sheath obtuse to acute, tooth to 0.2 mm.

distal leaf sheaths often disintegrating, thinly membranous-translucent, inflated distally, often wrinkled, apex blunt.

Spikelets

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.

ellipsoid, 1.5–9 × 1–3.5 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

proximal scale without flower, not amplexicaulous;

floral scales to 65, 5–7 per mm of rachilla, loosely appressed to appressed, elliptic, 1–3 × 0.4–1.6 mm, membranous, apex acute.

Flowers

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.

perianth bristles (0–)5–8, typically 7, white to stramineous, spinules dense to few;

styles 2-fid, rarely 3-fid.

Achenes

0.75–1 × 0.6–0.85 mm.

stramineous to green or dark brown, biconvex, rarely trigonous, obovoid to obpryiform, 0.4–1.1 × 0.3–0.8 mm, very finely reticulate at 40X.

Tubercles

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.

whitish to stramineous or green, 0.2–0.7 × 0.2–0.4 mm, apex acute to acuminate.

2n

= 10.

Eleocharis ovata

Eleocharis flavescens

Phenology Fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Fresh, often drying shores, lake and stream beds, bogs, tidal estuaries, disturbed places
Elevation 10–700 m (East), 1500–2000 m (Arizona) (0–2300 ft (East), 4900–6600 ft (Arizona))
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DE; FL; GA; ID; IL; IN; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MS; MT; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TX; UT; VA; VT; WI; WY; NB; NS; ON; QC; South America; temperate North America; West Indies
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The varieties of Eleocharis flavescens are difficult to delimit, especially in the south, and identifications of some specimens to variety are problematic.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Achenes red-brown to dark brown when ripe, 0.4–0.8(–1.1) × 0.3–0.6 mm, apex rarely highly constricted proximal to tubercle; flowers with perianth bristles typically shorter than to as long as achene.
var. flavescens
1. Achenes green to golden-brown, 0.5–1.1 × 0.4–0.8 mm, often highly constricted proximal to tubercle; flowers with perianth bristles typically longer than achene.
var. olivacea
Source FNA vol. 23, p. 103. FNA vol. 23, p. 100.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Eleocharis > sect. Eleogenus > ser. Ovatae Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Eleocharis > sect. Eleogenus > ser. Maculosae
Sibling taxa
E. acicularis, E. aestuum, E. albida, E. ambigens, E. atropurpurea, E. baldwinii, E. bella, E. bernardina, E. bicolor, E. bifida, E. bolanderi, E. brachycarpa, E. brittonii, E. cancellata, E. cellulosa, E. coloradoensis, E. compressa, E. cylindrica, E. decumbens, E. diandra, E. elliptica, E. elongata, E. engelmannii, E. equisetoides, E. erythropoda, E. fallax, E. flavescens, E. geniculata, E. intermedia, E. interstincta, E. kamtschatica, E. lanceolata, E. macrostachya, E. mamillata, E. melanocarpa, E. microcarpa, E. minima, E. montana, E. montevidensis, E. nana, E. nigrescens, E. nitida, E. obtusa, E. obtusetrigona, E. occulta, E. pachycarpa, E. palustris, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. quadrangulata, E. quinqueflora, E. radicans, E. ravenelii, E. retroflexa, E. reverchonii, E. robbinsii, E. rostellata, E. suksdorfiana, E. tenuis, E. torticulmis, E. tortilis, E. tricostata, E. tuberculosa, E. uniglumis, E. vivipara, E. wolfii
E. acicularis, E. aestuum, E. albida, E. ambigens, E. atropurpurea, E. baldwinii, E. bella, E. bernardina, E. bicolor, E. bifida, E. bolanderi, E. brachycarpa, E. brittonii, E. cancellata, E. cellulosa, E. coloradoensis, E. compressa, E. cylindrica, E. decumbens, E. diandra, E. elliptica, E. elongata, E. engelmannii, E. equisetoides, E. erythropoda, E. fallax, E. geniculata, E. intermedia, E. interstincta, E. kamtschatica, E. lanceolata, E. macrostachya, E. mamillata, E. melanocarpa, E. microcarpa, E. minima, E. montana, E. montevidensis, E. nana, E. nigrescens, E. nitida, E. obtusa, E. obtusetrigona, E. occulta, E. ovata, E. pachycarpa, E. palustris, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. quadrangulata, E. quinqueflora, E. radicans, E. ravenelii, E. retroflexa, E. reverchonii, E. robbinsii, E. rostellata, E. suksdorfiana, E. tenuis, E. torticulmis, E. tortilis, E. tricostata, E. tuberculosa, E. uniglumis, E. vivipara, E. wolfii
Subordinate taxa
E. flavescens var. flavescens, E. flavescens var. olivacea
Synonyms Scirpus ovatus, E. obtusa var. ovata, E. ovata var. heuseri Scirpus flavescens
Name authority (Roth) Roemer & Schultes: in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 2: 152. (1817) (Poiret) Urban: Symb. Antill. 4: 116. (1903)
Web links