Northeast Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Scirpus georgianus R.H. Harper
- Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)
- Flowering: June-September
- Field Marks: This bulrush is distinguished by its brownish spikelets up to 1/6 inch long, its uneven length of the inflorescence rays, and the bristles shorter than the achenes or even lacking. The leaf sheaths are usually not septate.
- Habitat: Wet meadows, bogs, along streams.
- Habit: Perennial herb from short rhizomes.
- Stems: Upright, unbranched, smooth, up to 6 feet tall.
- Leaves: Elongated, flat, up to 1 inch wide; sheaths usually not septate.
- Flowers: Borne in spikelets, the spikelets usually on rays of unequal length; spikelets narrowly ovoid, brownish, many-flowered, up to 1/6 inch long; scales elliptic to obovate, rounded at the tip except for a short point, about 1/12 inch long.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Ovary superior, smooth; styles 3.
- Fruits: Achenes triangular, about 1/24 inch long, ellipsoid to obovoid, smooth, subtended by 1-3 bristles shorter than the achenes, or bristles absent.
- Notes: Gleason and Cronquist and most all recent authors consider this species to be part of S. atrovirens. The achenes are eaten by waterfowl.
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