Schoenoplectus californicus |
Schoenoplectus sect. Schoenoplectus |
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California bulrush, giant bulrush, southern bulrush, tule |
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Habit | Plants perennial; rhizomes spreading, conspicuous, long, tough, firm; tubers absent. | |
Rhizomes | 10–15 mm diam. |
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Culms | bluntly trigonous with nearly flat sides throughout to cylindric proximally, obscurely trigonous distally, 1–4 m × 4–10 mm, smooth. |
(1–)2–10 mm diam. |
Leaves | 3–4, basal, ca. 1/6 culm length; sheath fronts coarsely pinnate-fibrillose; blades 0–1, dorsiventrally flat, not more than 1/2 sheath length, distal blade to 20 × 2 mm. |
all basal. |
Inflorescences | 3 or more times branched, branches to 21 cm; proximal bract usually erect, obtusely trigonous to subcylindric-channeled, 1–8 cm, margins often scabridulous. |
1–3 times branched or capitate or sometimes of 1 spikelet. |
Spikelets | 25–150+, solitary and in clusters of 2 or more, 5–11 × 3 mm; scales orange-brown, brightly lineolate-spotted, broadly oval, 2.5 × 2 mm, margins ciliolate, flanks veinless, apex rounded, notch 0.1–0.2 mm deep, awn not contorted, usually bent outward, 0.3 mm, sparsely scabrous. |
scales with midrib only, except sometimes on empty proximal scale, apex clearly emarginate to deeply 2-fid, awned. |
Flowers | perianth members 2–4, dark red-brown, thickly strap-shaped or trigonous, equaling achenes, fringed with brownish, soft, blunt hairs; anthers 1.5 mm; styles 2-fid. |
perianth present, segments (members) bristlelike and spinulose or occasionally straplike with soft, blunt hairs; amphicarpic flowers absent. |
Achenes | dark gray-brown when ripe, unequally biconvex or plano-convex, ovoid to obovoid, 1.8–2.2 × 1.3 mm; beak 0.2 mm. |
smooth. |
2n | = 68. |
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Schoenoplectus californicus |
Schoenoplectus sect. Schoenoplectus |
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Phenology | Fruiting spring–summer. | |
Habitat | Brackish to fresh marshes, shores, often emergent in water | |
Elevation | 0–1400 m (0–4600 ft) | |
Distribution |
AL; AR; AZ; CA; FL; GA; KS; LA; MS; NC; NM; NV; OK; SC; TN; TX; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; South America (s to Argentina, Chile); Pacific Islands (Cook Islands, Easter Island, Hawaii) [Introduced, New Zealand]
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Worldwide |
Discussion | Schoenoplectus californicus forms sterile hybrids with S. acutus in California (see 1. S. tabernaemontani) (S. G. Smith 1995). It reportedly occurs in Pope County, Illinois, although I have not seen a specimen. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Species ca. 12 (8 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 50. | FNA vol. 23. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Schoenoplectus > sect. Schoenoplectus | Cyperaceae > Schoenoplectus |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Elytrospermum californicum, Scirpus californicus | |
Name authority | (C. A. Meyer) Soják: Cas. Nár. Mus., Odd. Prír. 140: 127. (1972) | unknown |
Web links |