Eleocharis atropurpurea

Purple spikerush

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: annual · Native

Purple spikerush is a California native annual found in the Great Valley, southern California coastal areas, and San Bernardine Mountains in fresh wet bare soil at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering during summer and fall, this tiny plant produces dark purplish spikes in compact clusters less than 6 millimeters long. Growing as a delicate tufted annual just 2 to 12 centimeters tall with extremely thin stems less than 0.3 millimeters in diameter, it forms dense small clusters in wet soil. Its leaves are characterized by firm distal sheaths with acute tips, creating a compact and minimalist growth form. The fruit is small and distinctive, measuring just 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters wide, developing from black to brown with vestigial white perianth bristles.

Habitat: Very local. Fresh wet bare soil

Bloom period: Summer-fall

Elevation: < 800 m

Bioregions: GV, SCo, SnBr

California counties: San Bernardino, Shasta, Fresno, Glenn, Butte, Yuba, Tehama

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