Eleocharis parishii

Parish's spike rush

Family: Cyperaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Parish's spike rush is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, northern Coast Ranges, Great Valley, and southern California desert mountains in fresh streams, vernal pools, and riparian woodlands at elevations of 500 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from late spring through fall, this rush produces small, narrow-lanceolate spikes 3 to 20 millimeters long with multiple brown flower bracts. Growing with slender stems 10 to 50 centimeters tall, it has a tough rhizome approximately 0.7 to 2 millimeters in diameter. Its leaf sheaths are firm and persistent, with some having a small tooth up to 1 millimeter long. The fruit is tiny, three-sided, and smooth, with vestigial perianth bristles that may slightly exceed the small tubercle.

Habitat: Locally common. Fresh streams, vernal pools, foothill and riparian woodland, pine forest

Bloom period: Late spring-fall

Elevation: 500-2300 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRI, CaRF, n SN, c SNH, s SNF, GV, SnFrB, SCoRO, SCo, WTR, SnGb, PR, GB, DMoj, w DSon

California counties: Inyo, Ventura, San Bernardino, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Alameda, Monterey, Butte, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mendocino, Mono, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tulare, Shasta, Colusa, Fresno, Marin, Humboldt, Santa Cruz, Del Norte, Calaveras, Tehama, Plumas, Contra Costa, Mariposa, Orange, Placer, El Dorado, Napa

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