Eleocharis acicularis var. gracilescens

Needle spike rush

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Needle spike rush is a California native perennial found in northern coastal, northern coastal ranges, Sierra Nevada, and Sacramento Valley regions in fresh wet soil to deeply submersed habitats at elevations below 3,300 meters. Flowering from late spring to summer, this plant produces small, inconspicuous flowers in slender spikes up to 8 millimeters long. Growing to 60 centimeters tall with stems often marked by 5 to 12 distinct ridges, it forms delicate, grass-like clumps in wet environments. Its stems are slender and needle-like, lacking a corm-like base, with each stem supporting a compact floral structure. The tiny fruits are less than twice as long as they are wide, contributing to its subtle, fine-textured appearance.

Habitat: Fresh wet soil to deeply submersed

Bloom period: Late spring-summer

Elevation: < 3300 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoR, SN, ScV

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.