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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Sedge Mouse-tail
Myosurus aristatus Benth. ex Hook.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Butter-cup (Ranunculaceae)
Flowering: April-July
Field Marks: This small plant differs from other mouse-tails by the slender beak of the achene spreading, giving the spike of fruits a jagged margin.
Habitat: Most moist areas.
Habit: Annual herb with fibrous roots.
Stems: Upright, often curved, slender, up to 3 1/2 inches long, smooth, without leaves.
Leaves: All basal, linear to narrowly spatulate, up to 3 inches long, smooth.
Flowers: Very tiny, densely crowded into a terminal cylindrical spike up to 1/2 inch long.
Sepals: Usually 5, green, oblong, up to 1/16 inch long, spurred at the base.
Petals: 5 (sometimes absent), greenish yellow, very narrow, about as long as the sepals, with a nectar-bearing pit on its surface.
Stamens: 5-25.
Pistils: Many, borne on a cylindrical receptacle, each with a superior ovary.
Fruits: Achenes ellipsoid, smooth, with a slender, spreading beak that projects outward from the spike.
Notes: The achenes are eaten by small birds and mammals.

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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:28:08 EST
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