Western Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Catabrosa aquatica (L.) Beauv.
- Family: Grass (Gramineae)
- Flowering: June-September
- Field Marks: This rhizomatous aquatic grass is further distinguished by its usually 2-flowered spikelets with the smooth glumes and lemmas toothed at the tip. This grass also has leaves up to 1/2 inch wide and ligules up to 1/3 inch long.
- Habitat: Along streams, around ponds and lakes, usually in water.
- Habit: Aquatic perennial with rhizomes.
- Stems: Decumbent and rooting at the nodes, later becoming upright, branched or unbranched, hollow, up to 2 feet tall, smooth.
- Leaves: Alternate, elongated, flat, up to 1/2 inch wide, smooth; ligules up to 1/3 inch long.
- Flowers: Borne in usually 2-flowered spikelets, the spikelets arranged in open panicles up to 10 inches long; each spikelet up to 1/6 inch long; glumes and lemmas toothed at the tip, smooth.
- Sepals: 0.
- Petals: 0.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Ovary superior, smooth.
- Grains: Oval, flat, brown.
- Notes: The grains are eaten by waterfowl.
Previous Species -- Slimstem Reedgrass (Calamagrostis neglecta)
Return to Species List -- Group 2
Next Species -- Slender Wood-reedgrass (Cinna latifolia)
