Eleocharis obtusa (Willd.) Schult.
blunt spike-rush (blunt spikerush; egg-shaped spike-rush)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
blunt spike-rush (blunt spikerush; egg-shaped spike-rush)
Cyperaceae (Sedge family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Introduction
.
|
Species Information
General:
Annual (rarely perennial), tufted herb from fibrous roots; stems usually erect, several- to many-ribbed, 5-50 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths firm, blunt; blades lacking.
Flowers:
Spikes solitary, terminal, egg-shaped, (2) 5-13 mm long, many-flowered (rarely less than 40).
Fruits:
Scales 1.7-2.5 mm long, egg-shaped to nearly circular, the lowest ones sometimes empty, purplish or brownish with pale, translucent margins and greenish midribs; perianth bristles mostly 6 or 7, equalling or surpassing the achenes, or reduced or lacking, with fine barbs directed backwards, brownish; stigmas 2 or sometimes 3; achenes lens-shaped, straw-coloured to dark brown, smooth and shiny, (0.8) 1-1.5 mm long including the flattened, broad-based tubercles, which are appressed to the summits of the achenes, 1/2 to as wide as the achenes, and up to 1/2 as long as them.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Eleocharis obtusa
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
736 | 615 | 805 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
7 | 6 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
E | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
3 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
IDF(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Marshes, mud flats and wet meadows in the lowland and montane zones; frequent in SW BC, rare in the Queen Charlotte Islands, SC and SE BC; circumpolar, disjunct E to ON, PQ and NS and S to MA, PA, IN, MO and OR; Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Eleocharis diandra var. depressa Fernald
Eleocharis obtusa var. ellipsoidalis Fern. ex Svens.
Eleocharis obtusa var. gigantea (C.B. Clarke) Fern.
Eleocharis obtusa var. jejuna Fern.
Eleocharis obtusa var. obtusa (Willd.) Schult. [superfluous autonym]
Eleocharis obtusa var. peasei Svens.
Eleocharis ovata var. obtusa (Willd.) Kⁿk.
Scirpus obtusus Willd.