Schoenoplectus fluviatilis

Stout perennial with tuber-bearing rhizomes; stems mostly 6-15 dm, sharply triquetrous; lvs several, well distributed, elongate, ±flat, mostly 6-16 mm wide; lf-sheath convex, the ventral veins continuing nearly to the summit and abruptly divergent; invol bracts several, very unequal, some elongate and lf-like; spikelets mostly 10-40, 12-25 נ6-10 mm, some sessile in a central cluster, others generally single or clustered on several slender, flexuous rays to 7 cm; scales tan or light brown, thin and scarious, hirtellous on the back, short-awned from a tapering to more often lacerate or notched tip, the awn flexuous or ±recurved, commonly 2-4 mm; bristles 6, persistent, retrorsely barbellate, variably developed, commonly equaling or surpassing the achene; style trifid; achene trigonous, 3.5-5 mm, obpyriform to obovate, tapering to the prominent beak-apiculus; 2n=104, 110. Marshes, standing water, and fresh-tidal or freshwater shores, tolerant of alkali; widespread in n. U.S. and s. Can., s. to Va., Mo., Kans. and Calif. Fr June-Aug. (Bolboschoenus f.)

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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