Schoenoplectus californicus

(C. A. Meyer) Soják

Cas. Nár. Mus., Odd. Prír. 140: 127. 1972.

Common names: Southern bulrush California bulrush giant bulrush tule
Illustrated
Basionym: Elytrospermum californicum C. A. Meyer Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg, Ser. 6, Sci.-Math. 1: 201, plate 2, fig. 2. 1830
Synonyms: Scirpus californicus (C. A. Meyer) Steudel
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 23. Treatment on page 50. Mentioned on page 45, 46, 48.

Rhizomes 10–15 mm diam. Culms bluntly trigonous with nearly flat sides throughout to cylindric proximally, obscurely trigonous distally, 1–4 m × 4–10 mm, smooth. Leaves 3–4, basal, ca. 1/6 culm length; sheath fronts coarsely pinnate-fibrillose; blades 0–1, dorsiventrally flat, not more than 1/2 sheath length, distal blade to 20 × 2 mm. Inflorescences 3 or more times branched, branches to 21 cm; proximal bract usually erect, obtusely trigonous to subcylindric-channeled, 1–8 cm, margins often scabridulous. Spikelets 25–150+, solitary and in clusters of 2 or more, 5–11 × 3 mm; scales orange-brown, brightly lineolate-spotted, broadly oval, 2.5 × 2 mm, margins ciliolate, flanks veinless, apex rounded, notch 0.1–0.2 mm deep, awn not contorted, usually bent outward, 0.3 mm, sparsely scabrous. Flowers: perianth members 2–4, dark red-brown, thickly strap-shaped or trigonous, equaling achenes, fringed with brownish, soft, blunt hairs; anthers 1.5 mm; styles 2-fid. Achenes dark gray-brown when ripe, unequally biconvex or plano-convex, ovoid to obovoid, 1.8–2.2 × 1.3 mm; beak 0.2 mm. 2n = 68.


Phenology: Fruiting spring–summer.
Habitat: Brackish to fresh marshes, shores, often emergent in water
Elevation: 0–1400 m

Distribution

V23 70-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Ala., Ariz., Ark., Calif., Fla., Ga., Kans., La., Miss., Nev., N.Mex., N.C., Okla., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America (s to Argentina, Chile), Pacific Islands (Cook Islands, Easter Island, Hawaii), New Zealand.

Discussion

Schoenoplectus californicus forms sterile hybrids with S. acutus in California (see 1. S. tabernaemontani) (S. G. Smith 1995). It reportedly occurs in Pope County, Illinois, although I have not seen a specimen.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
S. Galen Smith +
(C. A. Meyer) Soják +
Elytrospermum californicum +
Southern bulrush +, California bulrush +, giant bulrush +  and tule +
Ala. +, Ariz. +, Ark. +, Calif. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Kans. +, La. +, Miss. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, N.C. +, Okla. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Mexico +, West Indies +, Central America +, South America (s to Argentina +, Chile) +, Pacific Islands (Cook Islands +, Easter Island +, Hawaii) +  and New Zealand. +
0–1400 m +
Brackish to fresh marshes, shores, often emergent in water +
Fruiting spring–summer. +
Cas. Nár. Mus., Odd. Prír. +
W1 +  and Illustrated +
Scirpus californicus +
Schoenoplectus californicus +
Schoenoplectus sect. Schoenoplectus +
species +