Common Name: SEDGE FAMILY Habit: Annual, perennial herb, often rhizomed or stoloned, often of wet open places; roots fibrous; monoecious, dioecious, or flowers bisexual. Stem: generally 3-sided, generally solid. Leaf: generally 3-ranked; base sheathing, sheath generally closed, ligule generally 0; blade (0 or) linear, parallel-veined. Inflorescence: spikelets generally arranged in head-, spike-, raceme-, or panicle-like inflorescences; flower generally sessile in axil of flower bract, enclosed in a sac-like structure (perigynium) or generally not. Flower: unisexual or bisexual, small, generally wind-pollinated; perianth 0 or generally bristle like; stamens generally 3, anthers attached at base, 4 chambered; ovary superior, chamber 1, ovule 1, style 2--3(4)-branched. Fruit: achene, 2--3 sided. Genera In Family: +- 100 genera, 5000 species: especially temperate. Note: Difficult; taxa differ in technical characters of inflorescence, fruit. In Carex and Kobresia, what appear to be individual pistillate flowers in fact are highly reduced inflorescences (whether or not the same applies to staminate flowers is still under debate). In some other works (e.g., FNANM) these are called spikelets, and they are treated as being arranged in spikes. Here and in TJM (1993), what appear to be individual pistillate flowers are called pistillate flowers in Carex (and they are treated as being arranged in spikelets), but spikelets in Kobresia (and they are treated as being arranged into spikes). Though internally inconsistent, the approach here is consistent with traditional usage, and reflects a preference for character states that may be determined in the field. Molecular, morphological, and embryological evidence indicates that Eriophorum crinigerum is to be segregated to a new genus, as Calliscirpus criniger (A. Gray) C.N. Gilmour et al., along with a second, newly described species, Calliscirpus brachythrix C.N. Gilmour et al. (Gilmour et al. 2013); key to genera modified by Peter W. Ball to include Calliscirpus. eFlora Treatment Author: S. Galen Smith, except as noted Scientific Editor: S. Galen Smith, Thomas J. Rosatti, Bruce G. Baldwin.
Common Name: SPIKERUSH Habit: Annual, perennial herb, generally forming mats, glabrous, internal air cavities evident; caudex generally 0; rhizomes generally evident, long, scaly, bulb or tuber at tip generally 0. Stem: simple, generally erect, smooth, generally not hollow; tip generally not rooting. Leaf: 2, basal, blades 0 or tooth-like, <= 1 mm. Inflorescence: inflorescence bracts 0; spikelet terminal, 1, generally ovate, not +- flat [(+- flat)], generally not forming plantlets, flowers 3--100+; flower bracts spiraled [(2-ranked)], each with 1 flower in axil, generally ovate, generally brown, generally membranous, smooth, tip generally acute to obtuse, notch 0; basal flower bract generally encircling stem, generally < 1/2 spikelet, flower generally 0. Flower: bisexual; perianth parts reduced to bristles, 0--8, generally +- <= fruit, barbs generally recurved; stamens generally 3; style 1, thread-like, base enlarged, generally persistent on fruit as tubercle. Fruit: generally obovate, generally brown; tubercle (0 or) generally distinct, generally pyramidal. Etymology: (Greek heleios, dwelling in a marsh, and Charis, grace) Note:Eleocharis lanceolata Fernald, Eleocharis equisetoides Torr. not in California. eFlora Treatment Author: S. Galen Smith Reference: Smith et al. 2002 FNANM 23:60--120
Eleocharis obtusa (Willd.) Schult.
NATIVE Habit: Annual 3--50 cm, tufted; rhizome 0. Stem: 0.2--2 mm diam, cylindric. Leaf: distal sheath firm, persistent, tip obtuse to acute, with tooth-like projection to 0.3 mm. Inflorescence: spikelet (2)5--13 mm, (2)3--4 mm wide; flower bracts 15--150+, (2)3--4 mm. Flower: anthers 0.3--0.6 mm; stigmas 2--3. Fruit: 0.9--1.2 mm, 0.7--0.9 mm wide, 2--3-sided, smooth; tubercle 1/3--1/2 as high as wide, 2/3--9/10 as wide as fruit, flat, adherent to fruit; perianth bristles (0 or) 5--7, +- to generally much exceeding tubercle. Chromosomes: 2n=10. Ecology: Fresh shores, marshes, seepages, stream beds, disturbed places; Elevation: < 1600? m. Bioregional Distribution: NW, SN, ScV/n SNF, CCo; Distribution Outside California: to southern British Columbia, Quebec, Florida; Hawaii. Flowering Time: Late spring--fall Note: See note under Eleocharis engelmannii. Synonyms: Eleocharis obtusa var. ellipsoidalis Fernald ex Svenson; Eleocharis obtusa var. gigantea Fernald; Eleocharis obtusa var. jejuna Fernald; Eleocharis obtusa var. peasei Svenson; Scirpus obtusus Willd. Unabridged Note: Distribution voucher: Inverness, Marin Co., Nobbs & Smith 556, (DAV); vernal pool 2 mi southwestern of Lincoln, Placer Co., Ray Griffiths s.n. (DAV). Jepson eFlora Author: S. Galen Smith Reference: Smith et al. 2002 FNANM 23:60--120 Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Previous taxon: Eleocharis montevidensis Next taxon: Eleocharis ovata
Botanical illustration including Eleocharis obtusa
Citation for this treatment: S. Galen Smith 2012, Eleocharis obtusa, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=23983, accessed on October 12, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on October 12, 2024.
Geographic subdivisions for Eleocharis obtusa:
NW, SN, ScV/n SNF, CCo
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