Sparganium emersum

European bur reed

Family: Typhaceae · Type: perennial · Native

European bur reed is a native perennial found in northern California coastal, Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, northern and central Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, and Modoc Plateau regions in unpolluted freshwater habitats at elevations below 2,600 meters. Flowering in summer, this plant produces small greenish flower heads with distinct staminate and pistillate clusters arranged on emergent stems. Growing up to 75 centimeters tall when terrestrial or extending to 2 meters when aquatic, it develops distinctively triangular or keeled stems with flexible growth adaptations. Its leaves are notable for their wide blades measuring 5 to 13 millimeters across, typically three-angled and capable of varying dramatically in shape depending on water conditions. The fruit develops as an ellipsoid to fusiform structure approximately 3.5 to 4 millimeters long with a short 3 to 4 millimeter beak.

Habitat: +- Unpolluted freshwater habitats

Bloom period: Summer

Elevation: < 2600 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, NCoRO, n&ampc SNH, SnBr, MP

California counties: Humboldt, Trinity, Sierra, Modoc, Lassen, Siskiyou, Plumas, Nevada, Butte, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Inyo, Mendocino, Sonoma, Tehama

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