Flora of North America species comparison

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Eleocharis quinqueflora

Eleocharis aestuum

few-flower spike-rush, few-flower spikesedge, éléocharide à cinq fleurs

tidal spikerush, tidal spikesedge
Habit Plants perennial; rhizomes 0.2–1 mm thick, scales persistent or fugaceous, 2–4(–7) mm, thinly membranous, not fibrous; resting buds often present on rhizomes or among culm bases, broadly to narrowly ovoid, 3–6(–10) × 2–5 mm; caudices absent, rarely present, soft or rarely hard, 0.5 mm thick.
Culms

erect, 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 wider than thick, 5–35 cm × 0.2–0.5(–1.2) mm, soft to hard;

culm tufts often proximally bulbous (if bulbous then tunicated by papery-fibrous scales).

often spreading or declining, 3–30 cm × 0.5–1 mm.
Leaves

distal leaf sheaths stramineous to brown or reddish proximally, green to stramineous or brown distally, membranous to papery, apex often reddish, subtruncate to acute.

apex of distal leaf sheath obtuse, tooth to 0.2(–0.5) mm.
Spikelets

3–8 × 1.5–4 mm;

proximal scale with a flower, seldom empty, 2–5 mm, 1/2 or more as long as spikelet;

floral scales 3–10 per spikelet, 2.5–6 × 1.5–2.5 mm.

ellipsoid to ovoid, 3–10 × 2–4 mm, apex blunt to subacute;

floral scales 10–100+, 10 per mm of rachilla, colorless to pale brownish except for green midrib, 1.5–2 × 1 mm, midribs not keeled, apex rounded.
Flowers

perianth bristles (0–)3–6, often unequal, rudimentary to equaling tubercle, stout to slender, spinules dense to apparently absent;

anthers 1.5–2.7(–3.5) mm.

perianth bristles absent or 2–4, stramineous or whitish, shorter than to nearly 1/2 achene, very slender, without spinules;

stamens 2(–3);

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

styles 2-fid or some 3-fid.
Achenes

stramineous to medium brown or gray-brown, equilaterally trigonous to compressed-trigonous, rarely some biconvex, obpyriform (to obovoid), 1.6–2.3 × 0.7–1.3 mm, beak variable.

0.75–1 × 0.6–0.8 mm.
Tubercles

rarely absent, 0.3–0.4 × 0.2–0.3 mm.

deltoid, 0.2–0.3 × 0.35–0.45(–0.55) mm, 1/2–3/4as high as wide, 1/4–1/3 as high and 1/2–2/3(–4/5) as wide as achene.

Eleocharis quinqueflora

Eleocharis aestuum
Phenology Fruiting (spring–)summer. Fruiting summer–fall (Jul–Oct).
Habitat Fens, wet meadows, seeps, springs, hot springs Fresh tidal river shores
Elevation 0–3600 m (0–11800 ft) 0–10 m (0–0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DE; MA; ME; NJ; NY; PA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The chromosome numbers for Eleocharis quinqueflora reported for North America (2n = 80) are in doubt because vouchers and other information are lacking. The often-cited n = 10 is probably erroneous. S.-O. Strandhede and R. M. T. Dahlgren (1968) gave 2n = 132 and 134 from Scandinavia. Recognition of infraspecific taxa within E. quinqueflora is premature pending a worldwide revision of subg. Zinserlingia. It has been reported from North Dakota, although I have not seen specimens. About five varieties and subspecies of E. quinqueflora have been described worldwide.

Most specimens from eastern North America and some from the West can be placed in Eleocharis quinqueflora subsp. fernaldii (Svenson) Hultén, which is characterized by its small size (culms to 15 cm × 0.5 mm) and small bulbs. Specimens of E. quinqueflora from 2000–3600 m in California, which are atypical, especially in that the proximal scales of the spikelets do not subtend flowers, may deserve taxonomic recognition. Those plants are also small, with culms only to 15 cm × 0.5 mm; hard caudices are often present at the culm-tuft bases; small, narrowly ovoid bulbs are sometimes present; and perianth bristles are absent or rudimentary. Very few specimens of E. quinqueflora are intermediate with E. suksdorfiana.

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

Eleocharis aestuum is very similar to E. diandra and E. ovata; E. diandra differs from E. aestuum in its lower tubercles, brown floral scales, and absence of perianth bristles; E. ovata differs as given in the key to species. D. M. Hines (1975) described E. aestuum using the epithet “palidostachys” [ined.]. Specimens from shores of the Lake-of-the-Woods in Minnesota, and a reservoir and farm in Hardin and Fayette counties, Tennessee, may be referable to E. aestuum. The only recent records of E. aestuum are from the Androscoggin and Kennebec rivers in Maine and the Hudson River in New York (A. Haines 2001).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 23, p. 114. FNA vol. 23, p. 104.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Zinserlingia Cyperaceae > Eleocharis > subg. Eleocharis > sect. Eleogenus > ser. Ovatae
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. ovata, E. pachycarpa, E. palustris, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. quadrangulata, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms Scirpus quinqueflorus, E. fernaldii, E. pauciflora, E. pauciflora var. fernaldii, E. quinqueflora subsp. fernaldii
Name authority (Hartmann) O. Schwarz: Mitt. Thüring. Bot. Ges. 1: 89. (1949) Hines ex A. Haines: Novon 11: 45. (2001)
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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