Schoenoplectus

Scientific name

Schoenoplectus (Rchb.) Palla

Common names

club-rush, bulrush, tule

Family

Cyperaceae

Similar genera

Actinoscirpus, Eleocharis, Isolepis

Native distribution

cosmopolitancosmopolitan:
(adj) essentially worldwide in distribution

Species cultivated

Schoenoplectus acutus (Muhl. ex Bigelow) Á.Löve & D.Löve [also offered under the synonym Scirpus acutus Muhl. ex Bigelow]

S. americanus (Pers.) Volkart

S. californicus (C.A.Mey.) Soják

S. pungens (Vahl) Palla

S. tabernaemontani (C.C.Gmel.) Palla [also offered under the synonyms Schoenoplectus validus (Vahl) Á.Löve & D.Löve and Scirpus validus Vahl and the erroneous synonym Scirpus acutus Muhl. ex Bigelow]

Adventive distribution

Schoenoplectus californicus is introduced into Australia, Hawaii and New Zealand.

S. triqueter (L.) Palla is naturalized in the United States.

Weed status

may be weedy in some countries

Habit

amphibious, seasonally inundated, semi-aquatic to aquatic emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
sedge, occasionally submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
; attached

Brief description

Tufted or creeping sedge. Rhizomatousrhizomatous:
(adj) possessing rhizomes
; culms round or triangular, smooth, sometimes septateseptate:
(adj) divided or partitioned by cross-walls
, spongy with internal air cavities. Leaves basalbasal:
(adj) at or pertaining to the base, or point of attachment
or reduced to sheaths; if present, leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
linear and ribbon-like, ± laterally compressed. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a capitatecapitate:
(adj) terminated by an enlarged and rounded head
cluster of spikelets or an anthelaanthela:
(n) a type of cymose corymb inflorescence, in which the lateral flowers are higher than the central ones
; pedunclepeduncle:
(n) the stalk of a flower cluster or inflorescence
absent; involucral bracts 1 to 5, lowest 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
culm-like, appearing as a continuation of the culmculm:
(n) the stem of a grass or sedge
; Spikelets 1 to several, ovoidovoid:
(adj) egg-shaped in three dimensions
to ellipsoid, many-flowered. Flowers bisexualbisexual:
(adj) having both male and female sexual reproductive structures on one individual or in one flower
; glumes spirally arranged, often each subtending flower, deciduousdeciduous:
(adj) shedding of parts at the end of their growing period, as with leaves; those trees or shrubs that drop their leaves at the end of the season
, rarely persistentpersistent:
(adj) (of leaves etc,) remaining attached; not being dropped or falling off
; 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
absent or reduced to up to 6 bristles; bristles smooth, retrorsely barbed or plumoseplumose:
(adj) (of hairs or bristles) fine, feather-like
, deciduousdeciduous:
(adj) shedding of parts at the end of their growing period, as with leaves; those trees or shrubs that drop their leaves at the end of the season
with nutletnutlet:
(n) a small nut
; stamens 1 to 3; stylestyle:
(n) in a flower, the narrow and elongated part of the pistil between the stigma and the ovary
linear, base not dilated; stigmasstigmas:
(n) the portion of the pistil that is receptive to pollen
2 to 3.

Natural habitat

annual species are typically in seasonally wet areas, perennialperennial:
(adj) (of a plant) having a life cycle of more than two years
species more often in shallow to deep water; in damp meadows, grasslands near watercourses and paddy fields, along and in fresh to brackish waters, streams, rivers, fens, bogs, marshes, swamps, seepage areas, ponds and lakes