Home
Rhizomes 3–10 mm diam. Culms cylindric, 0.5–3 m × 2–10 mm. Leaves 3–4, basal; sheath fronts membranous-translucent, often pinnate-fibrillose; blades 1–2, C-shaped to dorsiventrally flat in cross section, usually much shorter than sheath, distal blade 2–200 × 1–4 mm, margins often scabridulous. Inflorescences 2–4 times branched, branches to 15(–25) cm; proximal bract usually erect, thickly C-shaped to subterete, 1–8 cm, margins sometimes scabridulous. Spikelets 15–200, solitary or in clusters of 2–4(–7), commonly all solitary, 3–17 × 2.5–4 mm; scales uniformly dark to pale orange-brown, sometimes straw-colored, sometimes prominently lineolate-spotted, midrib often pale or green, ovate, 2–3.5 × 1.5–2 mm, sparsely (rarely densely) reddish or straw-colored, scabrous on awn and distal parts of midrib and sometimes flanks, margins ciliate, hairs contorted; flanks veinless, apex obtuse to rounded, notch 0.2–0.3 mm deep, awn straight or bent, 0.2–0.8 mm. Flowers: perianth bristles 6, brown, ± equaling achene, densely retrorsely spinulose; anthers 2 mm; styles 2-fid, sometimes 3-fid near spikelet apex. Achenes dark gray-brown when ripe, plano-convex, obovoid, 1.5–2.8 × 1.2–1.7 mm; beak 0.2–0.4 mm. 2n = 42.
Perennial herb, 0.8-2.0 m high, long-rhizomatous, occasionally tufted. Leaf blades absent or uppermost 1 or 2 very short, 10-15 mm long. Culm scapose, spongy (easily compressible), ± 10 mm in diam. at middle. Inflorescence pseudolateral, a simple or compound anthela, of few to several stalked and sessile clusters of spikelets, occasionally reduced and head-like. Subtending bract erect, appearing as a continuation of culm, shorter than inflorescence. Spikelets elliptical, 5-20 x 2-5 mm, many-flowered. Glumes ovate to oblong-ovate, 3-4 x 1.7-2.5 mm, keel excurrent into 0.25-0.50 mm long awn. Style branches 2. Perianth of 5 or 6 bristles, 2.3-2.9 mm long. Flowering time Dec., Jan. Nutlet obovate, incl. beak 2.4-3.0 x 1.3-1.8 mm, plano-convex, greyish brown to blackish; surface minutely reticulate.
Robust, rhizomatous perennial, up to 2 m high. Leaves basal, reduced to sheaths, rarely upper sheath bladed. Culms terete, up to 50 mm in diameter below, 3-15 mm diameter below inflorescence, waxy blue-green to grey-green. Flowers: spikelets usually stalked, reddish brown; perianth bristles with backwardly directed, spine-like teeth along the margins; style 2(3)-cleft. Fruit 2-sided nutlet.
A bullrush. It is a herb. It keeps growing from year to year.
