Scirpus Acutus
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''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is large; botanists have species description, described some 5,500 known species in about 90 ...
many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations.


Description

''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs, with 3-angled stems and flat grass-like leaves. The flowers are in clusters of small spikelets, often brown or greenish brown. Some species (e.g. '' S. lacustris'') can reach a height of , while '' S. sylvaticus'' is about and others, such as '' S. supinus'', are much smaller, only reaching tall.


Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the genus is complex, and under review by
botanists This is a list of botanists who have Wikipedia articles, in alphabetical order by surname. The List of botanists by author abbreviation is mostly a list of plant taxonomists because an author receives a standard abbreviation only when that aut ...
. Recent studies by
taxonomists In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are given ...
of the Cyperaceae have resulted in the creation of several new genera, including the genera ''
Schoenoplectus ''Schoenoplectus'' (club-rush ld World species bulrush or tule ew World species is a genus of plants in the Cyperaceae, sedge family with a cosmopolitan distribution. Note that the name bulrush is also applied to species in the unrelated ...
'' and ''
Bolboschoenus ''Bolboschoenus'' is a genus of plants in the Cyperaceae, sedge family, of nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Epipalaeolithic Near East, Epipaleolithic and Neolithic peoples used ground Tuber, root tubers of these plants to make the History of bre ...
''; others (including ''
Blysmus ''Blysmus'' is a genus of sedges of the family Cyperaceae, found in temperate regions across the Northern Hemisphere. Species Species currently accepted by The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants cre ...
'', ''
Isolepis ''Isolepis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sedge family, containing around 70 species. ''Isolepis'' is cosmopolitan, and often found in cool tropical and temperate climates in Africa and Australasia. ''Isolepis'' was first described by p ...
'', '' Nomochloa'', and ''
Scirpoides ''Scirpoides'' is a genus of sedges (Cyperaceae), native to Europe and adjoining areas, and introduced elsewhere. It was split off from ''Scirpus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common ...
'') have also been used. At one point this genus held almost 300 species, but many of the species once assigned to it have now been reassigned, and it now holds an estimated 120 species.


Selected species

:''(This list is incomplete, and may include some species now assigned to other genera.)'' *''
Scirpus ancistrochaetus ''Scirpus ancistrochaetus'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names barbedbristle bulrush and northeastern bulrush. It is native to the northeastern United States from New Hampshire south to Virginia. I ...
'' northeastern bulrush *''
Scirpus atrocinctus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' black-girdle bulrush *''
Scirpus atrovirens ''Scirpus atrovirens'', known as dark-green bulrush, is a perennial Cyperaceae, sedge native to wetlands of eastern Canada and the United States. It is sometimes called dark green bulsedge, black bulrush, or green bulrush. ''Scirpus atrovirens'' ...
'' woolgrass bulrush *''
Scirpus bicolor ''Scirpus bicolor'' is a species of plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The plant is endemic to Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale Island, Inaccessible Island and Gough Island. Its natural habitats are subantarctic forests, subantarctic shrublan ...
'' *''
Scirpus campestris ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' salt marsh bulrush *'' Scirpus cespitosus'' deergrass, synonymous with
Trichophorum cespitosum ''Trichophorum cespitosum'', commonly known as deergrass or tufted bulrush, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family. It was originally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1753 as ''Scirpus cespitosus'', but was trans ...
*''
Scirpus congdonii ''Scirpus congdonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common name Congdon's bulrush after noted Californian botanist J.W. Congdon. It is native to the mountains and plateaus of far northern California and adjace ...
'' Congdon's bulrush *''
Scirpus cyperinus ''Scirpus cyperinus'', commonly known as woolgrass, is an emergent wetland herb that is native to the eastern United States and eastern Canada. Other common names include cottongrass bulrushScirpus diffusus ''Scirpus diffusus'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common name umbrella bulrush. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in several of the high mountain ranges from the Klamath Mountains to the Sie ...
'' *''
Scirpus divaricatus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' spreading bulrush *''
Scirpus expansus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' Woodland beakrush *''
Scirpus flaccidifolius ''Scirpus flaccidifolius'', the reclining bulrush, is an uncommon plant species endemic to a small region in Virginia and North Carolina. It is reported from only six populations in three counties in Virginia ( Greensville, Sussex and Southampto ...
'' reclining bulrush *''
Scirpus fluitans ''Isolepis fluitans'' (Synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Scirpus fluitans''), the floating scirpus, is a species of flowering plant in the Cyperaceae, sedge family. It is native to Africa, Australasia, Europe, and the Pacific islands. It was first descr ...
'' floating club-rush *''
Scirpus fluviatilis ''Bolboschoenus fluviatilis'', the river bulrush, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. Its range includes Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Canada, the United States, and northeastern Mexico. ''B. fluviatilis'' an ...
'' - river bulrush *''
Scirpus georgianus ''Scirpus georgianus'', or Georgia bulrush, is a flowering plant in the family Cyperaceae that grows in much of the eastern half of North America. Its habitat is wet marshy field areas prone to seasonal flooding. It was described by Roland McMi ...
'' Georgia bulrush *''
Scirpus grossus ''Actinoscirpus'' is a monospecific genus in the family Cyperaceae which contains only the species ''Actinoscirpus grossus'', the greater club rush. It is found across East and South Asia and is known in China as , ''rumput menderong'' in Malays ...
'' Greater club-rush, Giant bulrush *''
Scirpus hattorianus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' - mosquito bulrush *''
Scirpus lineatus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' drooping bulrush *''
Scirpus longii ''Scirpus longii'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common name Long's bulrush. It is native to eastern North America, where it is limited to the Atlantic coastal plain.Scirpus mariqueter'' *'' Scirpus microcarpus'' small-fruit bulrush *'' Scirpus mucronatus'' *'' Scirpus nevadensis'' Nevada bulrush *'' Scirpus olneyi'' Olney bulrush, synonymous with ''
Schoenoplectus americanus ''Schoenoplectus americanus'' ( syn. ''Scirpus americanus'') is an American species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names chairmaker's bulrush and Olney's three-square bulrush. Description This perennial herb easily ...
'' *''
Scirpus pacificus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' Pacific Coast bulrush *''
Scirpus pallidus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' pale bulrush *'' Scirpus paludosus'' salt marsh bulrush *''
Scirpus pedicellatus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' stalked bulrush *'' Scirpus pendulus'' pendulous bulrush *'' Scirpus polyphyllus'' leafy bulrush *''
Scirpus pumilus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' dwarf deergrass *''
Scirpus pungens ''Schoenoplectus pungens'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known as common threesquare, common three-square bulrush and sharp club-rush. It is a herbaceous emergent plant that is widespread across much of North and South Ame ...
'' sharp club-rush *'' Scirpus radicans'' *''
Scirpus robustus ''Bolboschoenus robustus'' is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family. It is known by many common names: saltmarsh bulrush, alkali bulrush, sturdy bulrush, seacoast bulrush, stout bulrush, three-cornered sedge or leafy three-cornered se ...
'' salt marsh bulrush *''
Scirpus supinus ''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush. They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations. Description ''Scirpus'' are rhizomatous perennial herbs ...
'' dwarf club-rush *''
Scirpus sylvaticus ''Scirpus sylvaticus'', the wood clubrush, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family. ''Scirpus sylvaticus'' can reach 1 m, and has triangular stems. ''S. sylvaticus'' widespread in Eurasia, is very common in the European part of Ru ...
'' wood club-rush *'' Scirpus triqueter'' triangular club-rush ;Selected species in a broader view of the genus *''
Bolboschoenus maritimus ''Bolboschoenus maritimus'' is a species of flowering plant from family Cyperaceae. Common names for this species include sea clubrush, cosmopolitan bulrush, alkali bulrush, saltmarsh bulrush, and bayonet grass. It is found in seaside wetland hab ...
'' sea club-rush *'' Isolepis cernua'' slender club-rush *''
Isolepis setacea ''Isolepis setacea'' ( syn. ''Scirpus setaceus'') is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names bristle club-rush and bristleleaf bulrush. It is native to Eurasia and Africa, and possibly Australasia. It can be fo ...
'' bristle club-rush *''
Schoenoplectus acutus ''Schoenoplectus acutus'' ( syn. ''Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris'' subsp. ''acutus''), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the p ...
'' tule *'' Schoenoplectus hudsonianus'' alpine deergrass *''
Schoenoplectus lacustris ''Schoenoplectus lacustris'', the lakeshore bulrush or common club-rush, is a species of club-rush (genus ''Schoenoplectus'') that grows in fresh water across Europe and some neighbouring areas. Description ''Schoenoplectus lacustris'' grows up ...
'' common club-rush *''
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani ''Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani'' is a species of flowering plant in the Cyperaceae, sedge family known by the common names softstem bulrush, grey club-rush, and great bulrush. It can be found throughout much of the world; it has been reported f ...
'' *''
Scirpoides holoschoenus ''Scirpoides holoschoenus'' is a species of perennial sedge in the family Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae () are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as wikt:sedge, sedges. The family (biology), family is l ...
'' round-headed club-rush


Fossil record

Several hundred
fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...
fruits of ''Scirpus ragozinii'' have been described from
middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ...
strata In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...
of the Fasterholt area near
Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...
,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. Thirty-five
fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...
fruits of the extant ''Scirpus sylvaticus'' have been extracted from
borehole A borehole is a narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water ( drilled water well and tube well), other liquids (such as petr ...
samples of the
Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ...
fresh water deposits in Nowy Sacz Basin,
West Carpathians The Western Carpathians () are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland w ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.Łańcucka-Środoniowa M.: Macroscopic plant remains from the freshwater Miocene of the Nowy Sącz Basin (West Carpathians, Poland) zczątki makroskopowe roślin z miocenu słodkowodnego Kotliny Sądeckiej (Karpaty Zachodnie, Polska) Acta Palaeobotanica 1979 20 (1): 3-117.


Distribution and habitat

The genus has a nearly
cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of the surface of the Earth, in appropriate habitats; most cosmopolitan species are known to be highly adaptable to a range of climatic and en ...
, found on every continent except
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
and
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
. Many species are common in
wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
and can produce dense stands of vegetation, along rivers, in coastal deltas and in ponds and potholes. Although flooding is the most important factor affecting its distribution, drought, ice scour, grazing, fire and salinity also affect its abundance. It can survive unfavourable conditions like prolonged flooding, or drought, as buried seeds.


Ecology

''Scirpus'' species are used as food plants by the
larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
e of some
Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...
species, including ''
Chedra microstigma ''Chedra microstigma'' is a tiny moth of the family Batrachedridae described in 1907. It has only been found on Oahu. It has been found feeding on sedges, plants belonging to the family Cyperaceae, and its larvae host at least three species of ...
'' and ''
Scirpophaga nivella ''Scirpophaga nivella'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794. It is found in southern Asia from the Indian Subcontinent in the west to southern China in the east, south to New Guinea and Austra ...
''. They provide habitat for other wildlife. Scirpus plants play a vital role in wetland ecosystems by stabilizing soil and reducing erosion. Their dense root systems help filter water and improve its quality.


Uses

''Scirpus'' species are often planted to inhibit
soil erosion Soil erosion is the denudation or wearing away of the Topsoil, upper layer of soil. It is a form of soil degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, Atmosphere of Ea ...
. They are also used in some
herbal remedies Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...
; the plant's
rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
are collected in the autumn and winter and dried in the sun before use.


References


External links


Genus ''Scirpus''






* ttp://www.northernbushcraft.com/plants/bulrush/notes.htm Edibility of Scirpus Edible parts and identification of ''Scirpus''


Sources

* Muntz, Philip A. ''A California Flora''. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1973, copyright 1959 * Muntz, Philip A. ''A California Flora: Supplement''. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1976 (Scirpus lacutris, validus, glaucus, p. 183)) {{Authority control Cyperaceae genera