Scirpus ancistrochaetus

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Scirpus ancistrochaetus
Scirpus ancistrochaetus.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Scirpus
Species:
S. ancistrochaetus
Binomial name
Scirpus ancistrochaetus
Schuyler

Scirpus ancistrochaetus is a rare species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names barbedbristle bulrush [1] and northeastern bulrush. It is native to the northeastern United States from New Hampshire south to Virginia. It used to be found in Quebec but it is now thought to be extirpated there. [2] It was also believed extirpated from the state of New York, but at least one population has been rediscovered in Steuben County in 2010. [3] [4] It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its wetland habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species.

This bulrush produces clumps of upright or leaning stems from a fibrous rhizome. The stems sometimes have axillary bulblets. The leaves are up to 68 cm long and are only about 1 cm wide. The inflorescences occur at the tips of the stems and sometimes from the uppermost leaf axil on the side of each stem. Each is made up of clusters of spikelets that are oval in shape and up to 0.5 cm long. They are covered in brown scales with green midribs. The flowers emerge from beneath the scales and the plant can be identified by the straight or curving toothed spines on the developing fruit. [3] [5] Germination occurs around March and seedlings grow from the rhizomes in May. [2] Flowering occurs in June and July and the fruits develop in July through September. [6] This bulrush sometimes hybridizes with Scirpus hattorianus . [2] [5]

This plant grows in a number of types of wetlands, especially those with variable water depths. These include beaver ponds that are shallow or deep, depending on the activity of beavers, sandy depressions and sinkholes that sometimes fill with groundwater, and sinkhole ponds in solid sandstone bedrock. [2] The latter is the most common type of habitat in the southern portion of its range. [6] Sinkhole ponds usually fill with water in the spring and dry out during the summer, but their hydrology is variable. [7] The bulrush grows at the water's edge, sometimes in a small amount of standing water, but it can be found away from the water or in deeper water up to about a depth of 90 cm. [6] It has been observed experimentally that changes in water level affect the growth of the plant. [8] The most common plant associates are threeway sedge (Dulichium arundinaceum), woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus sens. lat.), rattlesnake mannagrass (Glyceria canadensis), and Virginia marsh St. Johns wort (Triadenum virginicum). [6] Other plants in the habitat include American winterberry (Ilex verticillata), blue skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), dogbane (Apocynum sp.), swamp rose (Rosa palustris), lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), red maple (Acer rubrum), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), white oak (Quercus alba), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), yellow water lily (Nuphar advena), buttonwillow (Cephalanthus occidentalis), duckweed (Lemna minor), silvery sedge (Carex canescens), blister sedge (Carex vesicaria), tussock sedge (Carex stricta), squarestem spikerush (Eleocharis quadrangulata), cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides), water knotweed (Persicaria amphibia), and water parsnip (Sium suave). [2]

The bulrush is threatened by the destruction and degradation of its habitat. This includes outright destruction as the land is cleared for development. It also includes damage to the habitat from road construction and maintenance, fire suppression activities, maintenance of power lines and other utilities, hydrocarbon development, and all-terrain vehicle use. The plant is affected by changes in the hydrology of its wetland habitat, including agricultural runoff and other surface water runoff contamination and dredging. Natural threats include beaver activity at beaver pond populations and trampling and browsing by larger animals such as deer. [6]

As of 2007 there were about 113 known populations of this species, about half of them in decline. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Typha</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Typhaceae

Typha is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in Australia as cumbungi or bulrush, in Canada as bulrush or cattail, and in New Zealand as reed, cattail, bulrush or raupo. Other taxa of plants may be known as bulrush, including some sedges in Scirpus and related genera.

Isoetes louisianensis, the Louisiana quillwort, is a small, grass-like aquatic plant of the family Isoetaceae. It is "one of the rarest quillworts in North America." It occurs in only five locations in St. Tammany and Washington Parishes of Louisiana and some spots in southern Mississippi. It is federally listed as an endangered species, partly due to its highly restricted range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reed bed</span> Habitats formed by reed colonies in floodplains and estuaries

A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As reedbeds age, they build up a considerable litter layer that eventually rises above the water level and that ultimately provides opportunities in the form of new areas for larger terrestrial plants such as shrubs and trees to colonise.

<i>Scirpus</i> Genus of flowering plants

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.

<i>Schoenoplectus californicus</i> Species of grass-like plant

Schoeneoplectus californicus is a species of sedge known by the common names California bulrush, southern bulrush and giant bulrush. It is also sometimes called "tule", but the closely related Schoenoplectus acutus is the species most often referred to by that name.

<i>Scirpus cyperinus</i> Grass-like plant of wetlands

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 bulrush and brown woolly sedge.

<i>Carex pensylvanica</i> Species of grass-like plant

Carex pensylvanica is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family commonly called Pennsylvania sedge. Other common names include early sedge, common oak sedge, and yellow sedge.

<i>Schoenoplectus americanus</i> Species of grass-like plant

Schoenoplectus americanus is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names chairmaker's bulrush and Olney's three-square bulrush. It is native to the Americas, where it is known from Alaska to Nova Scotia and all the way into southern South America; it is most common along the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States and in parts of the western states. It grows in many types of coastal and inland wetland habitat, as well as sagebrush, desert scrub, chaparral, and plains. This rhizomatous perennial herb easily exceeds two meters in height. The stiff stems are sharply three-angled and usually very concave between the edges. Each plant has three or fewer leaves which are short and narrow. The inflorescence is a small head of several spikelets which may be brown to bright orange, red, purplish, or pale and translucent. They have hairy edges. The fruit is a brown achene. The plant reproduces sexually by seed and colonies spread via vegetative reproduction, sprouting from the rhizomes.

<i>Scirpus congdonii</i> Species of grass-like plant

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 adjacent sections of southern Oregon and western Nevada. It can be found in wetland habitat and other moist areas, such as mountain meadows and waterways. It is a perennial herb forming a loose or dense clump of erect stems growing up to half a meter tall, solitary stems sometimes occurring as well. The stems are three-angled and narrow at the middle. Sheathing leaves occur at the stem bases as well as higher up the stems. The inflorescence occurs at the end of the stem, with small additional ones growing from leaf axils. The inflorescence consists of several clusters of many spikelets wrapped at the bases in a leaflike bract.

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 Sierra Nevada. It grows in wetland habitat and other moist areas, such as mountain meadows. It is similar to Scirpus congdonii and was described from herbarium specimens once mislabeled as such. It is a perennial herb forming a clump of erect stems growing up to a meter tall, solitary stems sometimes occurring as well. The stems are three-angled and narrow at the middle. Sheathing leaves occur at the stem bases as well as higher up the stems. The inflorescence occurs at the end of the stem, with small additional ones growing from the uppermost leaf axial. The inflorescence consists of several clusters of many spikelets wrapped at the bases in a leaflike bract.

<i>Schoenoplectus heterochaetus</i> Species of grass-like plant

Schoenoplectus heterochaetus is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common name slender bulrush. It is native to North America, where it can be found in scattered locations in Canada and the United States.

<i>Scirpus microcarpus</i> Species of grass-like plant

Scirpus microcarpus is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names panicled bulrush, smallfruit bulrush, and barberpole bulrush. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout the northern and western regions, from Alaska across Canada to the northeastern United States, in most of the central and western states, and in Baja California. It grows in many types of moist and wet habitat. It is a perennial herb growing from a long rhizome system. The erect, three-angled stems often exceed one meter tall. Sheathing leaves occur at the stem bases as well as higher up the stems. The inflorescence is a panicle of many clusters of spikelets and leaflike bracts on long, thin branches. The fruit is a pale, smooth achene less than 2 millimeters long.

<i>Schoenoplectiella mucronata</i> Species of grass-like plant

Schoenoplectiella mucronata is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names bog bulrush, rough-seed bulrush, and ricefield bulrush. It is native to Eurasia, Africa and Australia. It grows in moist and wet terrestrial habitat, and in shallow water. It is a perennial herb growing from a short, hard rhizome. The erect, three-angled stems grow in dense clumps and can reach a metre tall. The leaves take the form of sheaths wrapped around the base of stem, but they generally do not have blades. The inflorescence is a headlike cluster of cone-shaped spikelets accompanied by an angled, stiff bract which may look like a continuation of the stem.

<i>Scirpus pendulus</i> Species of plant

Scirpus pendulus is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names pendulous bulrush, rufous bulrush, and nodding bulrush. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout the eastern United States and Canada, through the American midwest, some areas of the western United States, and into Mexico. It is also known as an introduced species in Australia. It grows in many types of moist and wet habitat, including disturbed areas such as ditches, and sometimes in drier areas. It is a perennial herb growing from a short, thick rhizome system. The erect, three-angled stems grow singly or in tufts and clumps, easily reaching one meter tall. Sheathing leaves occur at the stem bases as well as higher up the stems, the blades reaching up to 40 centimeters. The inflorescence is a panicle of many clusters of spikelets which hang on long, thin branches, often nodding or drooping, especially as the fruit develops.

<i>Bolboschoenus robustus</i> Species of flowering plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae

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 sedge, and seaside club-rush.

<i>Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani</i> Species of grass-like plant

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani is a species of flowering plant in the 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 from every state in the United States, and from every province and territory in Canada except Nunavut. It grows in moist and wet habitat, and sometimes in shallow water.

Euphorbia purpurea is a species of Euphorbia known by the common names Darlington's glade spurge, glade spurge, and purple spurge. It is native to the Eastern United States, where it occurs from Ohio and Pennsylvania south to North Carolina. It has been extirpated from Alabama; it was believed lost from Delaware until a population was rediscovered in 1997.

<i>Schoenoplectiella hallii</i> Species of grass-like plant

Schoenoplectiella hallii is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common name Hall's bulrush. It is native to the United States, where it has a disjunct distribution, occurring in widely spaced locations throughout the Midwest and East. It is a rare plant.

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.

<i>Carex lacustris</i> Species of grass-like plant

Carex lacustris, known as lake sedge, is a tufted grass-like perennial of the sedge family (Cyperaceae), native to southern Canada and the northern United States. C. lacustris us an herbaceous surface-piercing plant that grows in water up to 50 cm (1.6 ft) deep, and grows 50–150 cm (1.6–4.9 ft) tall. It grows well in marshes and swampy woods of the boreal forest, along river and lake shores, in ditches, marshes, swamps, and other wetland habitat. It grows on muck, sedge peat, wet sand or silt, in filtered or full sunlight.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Scirpus ancistrochaetus". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Scirpus ancistrochaetus. Center for Plant Conservation.
  3. 1 2 Smith, K. J. and S. Young. (2011). Rediscovery of two federally listed rare plant species in New York. New York Natural Heritage Program.
  4. USFWS. 2nd Listed Plant Rediscovered in NY! (Endangered Species). Press Release.
  5. 1 2 Scirpus ancistrochaetus. Flora of North America.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scirpus ancistrochaetus. The Nature Conservancy.
  7. Bartgis, R. L. (1992). The endangered sedge Scirpus ancistrochaetus and the flora of sinkhole ponds in Maryland and West Virginia. Castanea 57(1) 46.
  8. Lentz, K. A. and W. A. Dunson. (1998). Water level affects growth of endangered northeastern bulrush, Scirpus ancistrochaetus Schuyler. Aquatic Botany 60(3) 213.