Scirpus pendulus
Scirpus hattorianus
drooping bulrush, nodding bulrush, pendulous bulrush, rufous bulrush, scirpe pendant
early dark-green bulrush, mosquito bulrush, scirpe de hattori
fertile ones upright or nearly so;
nodes without axillary bulblets.
fertile ones upright or nearly so;
nodes without axillary bulblets.
5–7 per culm;
sheaths of proximal leaves whitish;
proximal sheaths and blades with septa few, inconspicuous;
blades 15–40 cm × 4–8(–12) mm.
3–9 per culm;
sheaths of proximal leaves light brown;
proximal sheaths and blades with septa few to many, rather inconspicuous;
blades 20–35 cm × 5–9 mm.
terminal only or sometimes also with 1(–2) lateral inflorescences from distal leaf axils;
rays ascending or weakly divergent, rays and pedicels scabrous near nodes, otherwise smooth, rays without axillary bulblets;
bases of involucral bracts green or speckled with red-brown, not glutinous.
terminal;
rays ascending or divaricate (usually both in the same inflorescence), rays often bearing axillary bulblets, proximal branches smooth, distal branches scabrellous to scabrous;
bases of involucral bracts green, margins usually speckled with red-brown, rarely solid black, not glutinous.
in open cymes, central spikelet of each cyme sessile, others long-pedicellate, spikelets ovoid to lance-ovoid or subcylindric, 5–10(–12) × 2–3 mm;
scales brown to red-brown with green midribs, ovate, 2 mm, apex mucronate, mucro 0.1–0.3 mm.
in dense clusters of 4–55 (largest cluster with 15 or more), spikelets sessile, ovoid or broadly ovoid, 2–3.5 × 1.3–2.5 mm;
scales blackish or occasionally brownish with pale midribs, elliptic or broadly elliptic, 1–1.4(–2) mm, apex mucronate, mucro 0.1–0.2 mm.
perianth bristles persistent or brittle and breaking off near base, 6, slender, strongly contorted, much longer than achene and often projecting far beyond it despite being strongly contorted, smooth, enclosed within scales or scarcely projecting beyond them;
styles 3-fid.
perianth bristles persistent, (4–)5–6, slender, straight or curved, shorter than to equaling achene, with retrorse, thin-walled, round-tipped barbs in distal (0.1–)0.2–0.4, enclosed within scales;
styles 3-fid.
pale to medium brown, elliptic in outline, plano-convex or plumply trigonous, 1–1.2 × 0.6–0.8 mm.
pale brown, elliptic or obovate in outline, plumply trigonous, (0.6–)0.7–1.1 × 0.3–0.5 mm.
= 40.
= 56.
Scirpus pendulus
Scirpus hattorianus
Prior to 1966, the name Scirpus lineatus was incorrectly used for S. pendulus (A. E. Schuyler 1966). A nineteenth century Buckley collection from “Valley of the Lower Rio Grande,” may reflect an introduced population that has not persisted.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Scirpus hattorianus has been confused in the past with both S. atrovirens and S. georgianus. Scirpus hattorianus tends to be a more slender plant, and the scales of its spikelets are usually black, not brown. The perianth bristles are superficially intermediate between the other two. They are typically shorter and more delicate than those of S. atrovirens. In S. hattorianus the longest bristles are usually only 0.6–0.8 times as long as the achene, and barbed in the distal (0.1–)0.2–0.4; in S. atrovirens the longest bristles are usually 0.9–1.2 times as long as the achene and barbed in the distal 0.3–0.6. Some individuals fall outside these ranges and identification must be based on comparison of all the characters mentioned in the key. Separation from S. georgianus is discussed under S. georgianus.
Scirpus hattorianus occasionally hybridizes with S. ancistrochaetus, S. atrocinctus, S. atrovirens, S. georgianus, and S. pedicellatus. The name Scirpus peckii Britton has been applied to hybrids between S. hattorianus and S. atrocinctus or S. pedicellatus.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
CA, 
OR - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
MN Wildflowers
