Eleocharis coloradoensis
Dwarf spikerush
(c) Justin Quintanilla, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Cyperaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Eleocharis coloradoensis (Dwarf spikerush) is a native California perennial in the Cyperaceae family, recognized by 23 co-occurring species; small size, tubers, and reduced bristles.
Dwarf spikerush is a California native perennial found in the Central Valley, southern Coast Ranges, southern Coast, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Mojave Desert, and Sonoran Desert in fresh to brackish wet soils at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from spring to fall, this tiny plant produces small, delicate spikelets 3 to 6 millimeters long with pale flowers. Growing as a diminutive herb just 2 to 9 centimeters tall with thin cylindrical stems less than 0.5 millimeters in diameter, it spreads via a weak rhizome that often develops a small spherical tuber at its tip. Its leaf sheaths are particularly delicate, frequently disintegrating and ending in rounded tips, with the plant typically developing between 6 to 25 flower bracts. The fruit is fine-roughened, small and three-sided, often with vestigial perianth bristles barely half the length of the fruit itself.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 23 co-occurring species; small size, tubers, and reduced bristles are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Very local. Fresh to brackish bare wet soil, inland
Elevation: < 1500 m
Outside California: to Oregon, Saskatchewan, Mississippi, Mexico
Bloom period
Eleocharis coloradoensis blooms Spring-fall.
How to tell it apart
vs Carex: Eleocharis has single spikelet with no bracts below, Carex has leafy bracts and multiple spikes.; vs Isolepis: Eleocharis has no bracts below spikelet, Isolepis has conspicuous leaf-like bracts extending beyond flowers.; vs Schoenoplectus: Eleocharis has single terminal spikelet, Schoenoplectus has multiple spikelets in clusters.; vs Juncus: Eleocharis spikelets are flattened oval, Juncus flowers are round with visible petals in clusters.; vs Equisetum: Eleocharis has grass-like stems with flower spikelets, Equisetum has jointed hollow stems with cone-like structures.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eleocharis coloradoensis native to California?
Yes. Eleocharis coloradoensis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Eleocharis coloradoensis bloom?
Eleocharis coloradoensis blooms Spring-fall.
What plant family does Eleocharis coloradoensis belong to?
Eleocharis coloradoensis is in the Cyperaceae family, genus Eleocharis.
What habitat does Eleocharis coloradoensis grow in?
Eleocharis coloradoensis grows in Very local. Fresh to brackish bare wet soil, inland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eleocharis decumbens — Decumbent spikerush
- Eleocharis engelmannii — Engelmann's spikerush
- Eleocharis engelmannii var. detonsa — Engelmann's spikerush
- Eleocharis engelmannii var. engelmannii — Engelmann's spikerush
- Eleocharis flavescens var. flavescens — Yellow spikerush
- Eleocharis geniculata — Bent spikerush
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-06
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.