Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Flowering Quillwort
Lilaea scilloides (Poir.) Haum.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Arrow-grass (Juncaginaceae)
Flowering: March-October
Field Marks: This very distinctive species has elongated grass-like leaves with short spikes on slender, leafless stalks much shorter than the leaves. Some female flowers are hidden in basal leaf sheaths; other flowers are found in short spikes.
Habitat: Around lakes and ponds in mud, in slow streams.
Habit: Annual herb with fibrous roots.
Stems: No leafy stems present, only stems up to 8 inches tall with spikes of flowers present.
Leaves: All elongated, terete, fleshy, up to 1 foot long, up to 1/5 inch wide, smooth.
Flowers: Male and female flowers embedded in the fleshy axis of a spike, with some female flowers only borne singly and hidden by basal leaf sheaths; spikes 1/6-1/3 inch long; all flowers usually subtended by a bract.
Sepals: 1, oblong.
Petals: 0.
Stamens: 1.
Pistils: Ovary superior; style of basal flowers up to 8 inches long.
Fruits: Those hidden in the sheaths narrowly oblongoid, flattened, light brown, 1/4-1/3 inch long, often with 1 or more slender horns at the tip; those in the spikes broadly lanceoloid, green, narrowly winged.
Notes: The flowering spike usually is borne at water level. Sometimes some of the flowers are not subtended by bracts.

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/florawe/species/4/lilascil.htm
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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:25:13 EST
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