Name: |
- Eleocharis, from the Greek, `eleios
(heleios) , "of the marsh or meadow", and caris
(charis) , "joy; grace; kindness; beauty", sometimes a
reference to a specific plant.
- tenuis, from the Latin, "thin, fine, slim, slender"
- Common Name, from the slender stems relative to other Spike
Rushes
- Other common names include: Needle Grass
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Taxonomy: |
- Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
- Division Magnoliophyta, the Angiosperms (flowering plants)
- Class Liliopsida, the Monocotyledons
- Subclass Commelinidae
- Order Cyperales
- Family Cyperaceae, the Sedges
- Genus Eleocharis, the Spike Rushes, over
100 difficult-to-distinguish species worldwide.
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 40070
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Description: |
- A thin-stemmed, perennial spike rush of the bogs
- Leaves absent
- Stems clumped or scattered slender culms, 8"-30"
tall, having 4-8 longitudinal ridges or corrugations. Sheaths red/purple
at base.
- Root system dense, tough, to 14" deep; with slender
rhizomes
- Flower a spikelet, narrow, oblong, or almost oval, 3mm-10mm
long and wider than stem..
- Fruit a rounded, triangular achene, only about 1mm long.
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Identification: |
- A bog plant, identifiable as a Spike Rush by its slender, leafless
stems.
- Distinguished from other North County Spike Rushes by having stems
that have 4-8 longitudinal ridges or corrugations and are not smooth
like others in this genus.
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Distribution: |
- Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to South Carolina and Texas.
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Habitat: |
- Bogs, sand or gravel shorelines.
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Associates: |
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History: |
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Uses: |
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Reproduction: |
- Sexually by seed
- Asexually by rhizome
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Propagation: |
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Cultivation: |
- Hardy to USDA Zone 3 (average minimum annual temperature -40ºF)
- Cultural Requirements
- Minimum frost-free days - 120
- Sun full; shade intolerant
- Soil pH 6.2-7.0
- Fertilization moderate
- Growth rate moderate
- Available by mail order from specialty suppliers or at local nurseries
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Links: |
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Comments: |
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Last updated on
26 February, 2004
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