Sparganium natans

Small bur-reed

Family: Typhaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Small bur-reed is a California native perennial found in eastern Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range Highlands, northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains, and Modoc Plateau in shallow water, ponds, marshes, wet meadows, and bogs at elevations of 600 to 2,400 meters. Flowering from June to August, this aquatic plant produces small, inconspicuous white flowers in clustered heads. Growing up to 20 centimeters tall with limp, generally floating stems, it forms delicate aquatic colonies. Its leaves are flat or slightly convex, with narrow blades 1 to 4 millimeters wide that spread softly through shallow water. The plant produces small rounded fruits 2 to 4 millimeters long with a short beak, characteristic of its bur-reed family.

Habitat: Shallow water, ponds, marshes, wet meadows, bogs

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 600-2400 m

Bioregions: e KR, CaRH, n&ampc SNH, MP

California counties: Amador, Madera, Placer, Plumas, El Dorado, Tulare, Lassen, Shasta, Trinity, Tuolumne, Sierra, Modoc, Mariposa

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