Eleocharis nana

Illustrator: Elizabeth Zimmerman

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Plants probably perennial, tufted; rhizomes present, ± horizontal, 0.3–0.5 mm thick, soft, longer internodes 5 mm, scales disintegrating, translucent or not. Culms erect to ascending, ± quadrangular to pentagonal or broadly elliptic, sometimes sulcate, (1.9–)4.2–8.6 cm (extraterritorial plants to 12 cm) × 0.2–0.4 mm, soft. Leaves: distal leaf sheaths persistent or fugaceous, pale brown or red-brown sometimes spotted or streaked red-brown, translucent, membranous, apex acute. Spikelets: basal spikelets absent; never proliferous, ovoid, ellipsoid or obovoid, laterally compressed when young, but terete at maturity, 1.9–4 × 1–3 mm, apex acute, proximal scale empty, deciduous, amplexicaulous or nearly so, similar to floral scales, 0.6–2.5 × 0.8–1.2 mm, midrib sometimes slightly prolonged beyond lamina; subproximal scale with a flower; floral scales distichous or spirodistichous, (2–) 4–10, 3–5 per mm of rachilla, pale brown, spotted or streaked red-brown, ovate or elliptic, 1.7–2.2 × 0.4–0.7 mm, membranous, midrib green, spotted red-brown, prominent, apex rounded. Flowers: perianth bristles 6, red-brown, equaling to much exceeding tubercle; spinules sparse, retrorse, sharply acute; stamens 3; anthers 0.5–0.7 × 0.1 mm; styles 3-fid. Achenes whitish or pale brown, circular in outline, ellipsoid, or obovoid, trigonous, angles prominent, 0.6–0.8 × 0.5–0.6(–0.7) mm, apex constricted proximal to tubercle, smooth. Tubercles white or red-brown, pyramidal, trigonous, 0.2–0.4 × 0.3–0.4 mm.

Phenology: Fruiting summer–winter.
Habitat: Freshwater, moist terrestrial sites such as sandy and peaty ponds, cypress swamps
Elevation: 10–50 m

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Fla., South America.

Discussion

H. K. Svenson (1957) described Eleocharis nana as “annual (?),” but the presence of rhizomes suggests that this species may be perennial.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.