Eleocharis engelmannii var. detonsa

Engelmann's spikerush

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: annual · Native

Engelmann's spikerush is a native annual found in northwestern California, the high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Modoc Plateau, particularly in Grasshopper Valley, Lassen County, growing on fresh wet bare soil at elevations of 30 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from spring through fall, this delicate spikerush produces small, inconspicuous flowers in narrow, elongated spikes. Growing with slender, bright green stems up to 30 centimeters tall, it forms dense, compact clusters in moist environments. Its leaves are reduced to sheaths at the base of the stem, characteristic of spikerush species. The fruit is distinguished by nearly absent or vestigial perianth bristles, giving the plant a smooth, minimalist appearance.

Habitat: Fresh wet bare soil

Bloom period: Spring-fall

Elevation: 30-2400 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRH, SN, MP (Grasshopper Valley, Lassen Co.).

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