Isolepis

Scientific name

Isolepis R. Br.

Common names

sedge, club-rush

Family

Cyperaceae

Similar genera

Eleocharis, Isoetes, Littorella, Pilularia

Native distribution

cosmopolitan, with the greatest concentrations in southern Africa and Australia

Species cultivated

Isolepis cernua (Vahl) Roem. & Schult.

I. fluitans (L.) R.Br.

I. inundata R. Br.

I. nodosa (Rottb.) R.Br. [synonym of Ficinia nodosa but often offered as Isolepis]

Adventive distribution

cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibious, seasonally inundated, emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
, floating, or submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
sedge; tufted or mat-forming

Brief description

Fine, grass-like sedge. Rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
ascending or horizontal, either below or above ground, green or whitish, roots minute, tubers rare; culmculm:
(n) the stem of a grass or sedge
few- to many-noded or reduced to pedunclepeduncle:
(n) the stalk of a flower cluster or inflorescence
only. Leaf sheath tubulartubular:
(adj) (of a corolla, perianth, calyx tube or other structure) (1) tube-shaped; cylindrical: narrow and elongate with more or less straight sides; (2) having segments fused into a tube (of any shape)
, green to brown; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear, flat. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
terminal or pseudolateral, of one to several spikelets, typically subtended by 1 bractbract:
(n) a modified leaf near a flower or inflorescence, often reduced, sometimes large and/or petaloid; also glumes, lemmas, and paleae of grass spikelets
appearing as a continuation of the culmculm:
(n) the stem of a grass or sedge
; spikeletspikelet:
(n) a small spike; basic unit of the grass and sedge inflorescence, commonly consisting of one to many florets (small flowers) subtended by bracts
many-flowered, round, usually sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
; glumes spirally arranged, ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
to obovateobovate:
(adj) ovate, with the narrow end at the base
, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
to obtuseobtuse:
(adj) with a blunt or rounded apex and sides coming together at an angle of more than 90 degrees
, midribmidrib:
(n) the main or central vein, line or rib in a leaf or perianth segment
often mucronatemucronate:
(adj) tipped with a mucro
, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
, green to brown. Flower lacks a perianthperianth:
(n) collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower; also used for floral whorl(s) in which the calyx and corolla cannot be resolved; any of the leaves or bracts surrounding the sex organs of bryophytes
; stamens 1-3, filaments ribbon-like, antheranther:
(n) the pollen-producing, apical part of the stamen
apex often crested; ovaryovary:
(n) a hollow organ at the base of the carpel of a flower in which ovules are produced
1, stylestyle:
(n) in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
1, stigmastigma:
(n) the portion of the pistil that is receptive to pollen
2-3-fid.

Natural habitat

in and along seasonally wet areas and shallow waters; stationary pools, seepage, bogs, swamps, saline marshes, creeks and streams

Additional comments

The majority of Isolepis species are amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
, and about 11 species (of 75-80 in the genus) are semi-aquatic to aquatic.