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S. Galen Smith, except as noted


Key to Cyperaceae

Generally perennial herb, generally erect, generally with long, scaly rhizomes; stem, leaf generally with air cavities. Stem: simple, smooth, (wiry). Leaf: generally all basal, whorled or 3-ranked; blade generally present, at least on distal sheath, smooth, or margin minute-scabrous; sheath closed, long; ligule glabrous. Inflorescence: terminal, branch stems often scabrous, main inflorescence bract like leaf blade; spikelets ovate, not ± flat, many-flowered; flower bracts spiraled, each with 1 flower in axil, ovate, 1-veined, brown to straw, dull, often fine-lined-spotted, membranous, generally ± scabrous, tip generally notched, generally with short awn. Flower: bisexual; perianth bristles ± straight, ± <= fruit, generally brown, reflexed-barbed (or with soft hairs) [(smooth)]; stamens generally 3; style 1, thread-like, base not enlarged, stigmas 2–3. Fruit: generally obovate, brown, generally smooth, mucronate; tubercle 0.
Wetlands, often emergent (or submersed).
± 77 species: temperate, subtropics, worldwide. (Greek: rush woven, from use of stems in baskets, etc.) [Smith 2002 FNANM 23:44–60]
Unabridged etymology: (Greek, schoenos, a rush, reed, and plectos, plaited, twisted, woven, in reference to the use of stems in making useful objects)

Key to Schoenoplectus

S. pungens (Vahl) Palla var. longispicatus (Britton) S.G. Sm. COMMON THREE-SQUARE BULRUSH
Perennial herb 1–20 dm; rhizome long, 1–6 mm diam. Stem: 1–6 mm diam, sides 3, flat (to deep-concave), edges sharp. Leaf: blades 2–6, ± 3-sided to ± flat, distal (1)2–5 × sheath, 2–9 mm wide, sheath not splitting. Inflorescence: head-like; inflorescence bracts 1–2, generally erect, 1–20 cm; spikelets 1–5(10), 5–23 mm, 3–5(7) mm wide; flower bract 3.5–6 mm, midrib, awn often sparse-scabrous, sparse-deciduous-ciliate, tip notch (0.3)0.5–1 mm, awn 0.5–2.5 mm, generally irregularly bent. Flower: perianth bristles (4)6(8), vestigial to = fruit; stigmas 3. Fruit: (2)2.5–3.5 mm, 1.3–2.3 mm wide, 3-sided, smooth.
Fresh or brackish marshes, shores, fens; < 2400 m. North Coast, Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, Central Western California, South Coast, Great Basin Floristic Province, Desert; to eastern United States, southeastern Canada, Mexico, also South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand. [Scirpus americanus var. longispicatus Britton; Scirpus pungens Vahl, in part] Late spring–summer [Online Interchange]
Unabridged note: Schoenoplectus pungens var. badius only differs in its dark chestnut flower bracts, coastal range, and so is not recognized here. Schoenoplectus pungens var. pungens in eastern North America, Europe.

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Citation for this treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] 2012. Schoenoplectus, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora,, accessed on Apr 16 2014

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Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa.
Blue line denotes eFlora flowering time.