Eleocharis palustris

Common spikerush

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Common spikerush is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, Sierra Nevada, southern California coastal areas, Channel Islands, San Bernardin Mountains, and Modoc Plateau in fresh ponds, shores, and marshes at elevations below 3,000 meters. Flowering during summer, this plant produces small green to brown spikelets 5 to 25 millimeters long with compact flower clusters. Growing with slender cylindrical stems 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it spreads through a tough rhizome approximately 1.5 to 4 millimeters in diameter. Its leaf sheaths are firm and persistent, with tips ranging from obtuse to acute, and the plant develops compact spikes with 30 to 100 flower bracts. The fruit is small, measuring 1.1 to 2 millimeters long, with two-sided surfaces that are smooth or fine-roughened.

Habitat: Locally common. Fresh ponds, shores, marshes

Bloom period: Summer

Elevation: < 3000 m

Bioregions: NW, SNH, SCo, ChI, SnBr, MP

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