Index / Search / Eleocharis palustris
§1 Plant
Eleocharis palustris (L.) Roem. & Schult.
vernacular common spikerush — species · Cyperaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Graminoid
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Monocot
- Family
- Cyperaceae Juss.
- Genus
- Eleocharis
§2a
Native status, by region
- AK Alaska Native
- CAN Canada Native
- GL Greenland Native
- HI Hawaii Introduced
- L48 Lower 48 States Native
- SPM St. Pierre & Miquelon Native
§2b
County-level range
· 808 counties across 37 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Low
- Shade
- High
- Moisture use
- High
- Fire
- Medium
- Salinity
- Low
- Anaerobic
- High
- CaCO₃
- Medium
- Hedging
- None
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -38 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 100 min.
- Precipitation
- 16–60 in/yr
- pH range
- 4–8
- Root depth
- 14 in min.
- Fertility need
- Medium
- Soil texture
- coarse, fine
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Rhizomatous
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Moderate
- Mature height
- 1.3 ft
- Foliage texture
- Fine
- Foliage colour
- Dark Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Moderate
- Porosity (winter)
- Porous
- Flower colour
- Brown
- Fruit colour
- Brown
- Fire resistant
- Yes
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Late Spring
- Seed abundance
- Medium
- Seed begins
- Fall
- Seed ends
- Summer
- Spread rate
- Moderate
- Stratify
- No
- Propagation
- seed, sprigs
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- No
- Graze palatability
- Low
- Palatable, human
- No
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 808 counties across 37 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Alaska view state ↗ 19 N ▾
- Aleutians East 02013
- Anchorage 02020
- Bethel 02050
- Chugach 02063
- Copper River 02066
- Denali 02068
- Dillingham 02070
- Fairbanks North Star 02090
- Juneau 02110
- Kenai Peninsula 02122
- Kodiak Island 02150
- Lake and Peninsula 02164
- Matanuska-Susitna 02170
- Nome 02180
- North Slope 02185
- Northwest Arctic 02188
- Southeast Fairbanks 02240
- Yakutat 02282
- Yukon-Koyukuk 02290
Arizona view state ↗ 7 N ▾
Arkansas view state ↗ 7 N ▾
Delaware view state ↗ 3 N ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Illinois view state ↗ 46 N ▾
- Adams 17001
- Alexander 17003
- Bond 17005
- Boone 17007
- Calhoun 17013
- Cass 17017
- Champaign 17019
- Christian 17021
- Coles 17029
- Cook 17031
- Cumberland 17035
- DuPage 17043
- Effingham 17049
- Ford 17053
- Greene 17061
- Grundy 17063
- Henderson 17071
- Henry 17073
- Jackson 17077
- Johnson 17087
- Kane 17089
- Kankakee 17091
- Kendall 17093
- Lake 17097
- LaSalle 17099
- Macon 17115
- Macoupin 17117
- Madison 17119
- Mason 17125
- McHenry 17111
- Menard 17129
- Peoria 17143
- Perry 17145
- Pope 17151
- Rock Island 17161
- Sangamon 17167
- Scott 17171
- Shelby 17173
- St. Clair 17163
- Stark 17175
- Tazewell 17179
- Wabash 17185
- Washington 17189
- Will 17197
- Winnebago 17201
- Woodford 17203
Indiana view state ↗ 29 N ▾
- Cass 18017
- Daviess 18027
- DeKalb 18033
- Elkhart 18039
- Floyd 18043
- Fulton 18049
- Hamilton 18057
- Howard 18067
- Jasper 18073
- Jefferson 18077
- Kosciusko 18085
- Lagrange 18087
- Lake 18089
- LaPorte 18091
- Lawrence 18093
- Monroe 18105
- Newton 18111
- Noble 18113
- Owen 18119
- Porter 18127
- St. Joseph 18141
- Steuben 18151
- Sullivan 18153
- Tipton 18159
- Vigo 18167
- Wabash 18169
- Warrick 18173
- Washington 18175
- Wells 18179
Iowa view state ↗ 3 N ▾
Kansas view state ↗ 30 N ▾
- Atchison 20005
- Barton 20009
- Brown 20013
- Cherokee 20021
- Clay 20027
- Cloud 20029
- Coffey 20031
- Crawford 20037
- Franklin 20059
- Gray 20069
- Greenwood 20073
- Harvey 20079
- Jackson 20085
- Lincoln 20105
- Linn 20107
- Lyon 20111
- Marion 20115
- Miami 20121
- Morris 20127
- Morton 20129
- Neosho 20133
- Osage 20139
- Republic 20157
- Saline 20169
- Scott 20171
- Shawnee 20177
- Sherman 20181
- Stafford 20185
- Wabaunsee 20197
- Woodson 20207
Kentucky view state ↗ 20 N ▾
Louisiana view state ↗ 12 N ▾
Maine view state ↗ 16 N ▾
Maryland view state ↗ 3 N ▾
Massachusetts view state ↗ 14 N ▾
Michigan view state ↗ 53 N ▾
- Alcona 26001
- Alger 26003
- Alpena 26007
- Baraga 26013
- Berrien 26021
- Branch 26023
- Calhoun 26025
- Cass 26027
- Charlevoix 26029
- Cheboygan 26031
- Chippewa 26033
- Clare 26035
- Clinton 26037
- Delta 26041
- Dickinson 26043
- Emmet 26047
- Gogebic 26053
- Grand Traverse 26055
- Gratiot 26057
- Houghton 26061
- Huron 26063
- Ingham 26065
- Ionia 26067
- Iron 26071
- Jackson 26075
- Kalamazoo 26077
- Kalkaska 26079
- Kent 26081
- Keweenaw 26083
- Lake 26085
- Livingston 26093
- Luce 26095
- Mackinac 26097
- Macomb 26099
- Marquette 26103
- Mecosta 26107
- Missaukee 26113
- Monroe 26115
- Montcalm 26117
- Muskegon 26121
- Newaygo 26123
- Oakland 26125
- Ogemaw 26129
- Ontonagon 26131
- Otsego 26137
- Ottawa 26139
- Roscommon 26143
- Schoolcraft 26153
- St. Clair 26147
- St. Joseph 26149
- Washtenaw 26161
- Wayne 26163
- Wexford 26165
Minnesota view state ↗ 63 N ▾
- Aitkin 27001
- Anoka 27003
- Becker 27005
- Beltrami 27007
- Benton 27009
- Big Stone 27011
- Blue Earth 27013
- Cass 27021
- Chippewa 27023
- Chisago 27025
- Clay 27027
- Clearwater 27029
- Cook 27031
- Crow Wing 27035
- Dakota 27037
- Douglas 27041
- Fillmore 27045
- Freeborn 27047
- Grant 27051
- Hennepin 27053
- Hubbard 27057
- Isanti 27059
- Itasca 27061
- Jackson 27063
- Kanabec 27065
- Kandiyohi 27067
- Kittson 27069
- Koochiching 27071
- Lac qui Parle 27073
- Lake 27075
- Lake of the Woods 27077
- Le Sueur 27079
- Lincoln 27081
- Mahnomen 27087
- Marshall 27089
- Martin 27091
- Meeker 27093
- Morrison 27097
- Murray 27101
- Nicollet 27103
- Nobles 27105
- Norman 27107
- Otter Tail 27111
- Pennington 27113
- Pine 27115
- Pipestone 27117
- Polk 27119
- Pope 27121
- Red Lake 27125
- Redwood 27127
- Roseau 27135
- Scott 27139
- Sherburne 27141
- St. Louis 27137
- Stearns 27145
- Steele 27147
- Wabasha 27157
- Wadena 27159
- Waseca 27161
- Washington 27163
- Winona 27169
- Wright 27171
- Yellow Medicine 27173
Mississippi view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Missouri view state ↗ 66 N ▾
- Adair 29001
- Audrain 29007
- Barry 29009
- Barton 29011
- Bates 29013
- Bollinger 29017
- Boone 29019
- Callaway 29027
- Cape Girardeau 29031
- Carroll 29033
- Carter 29035
- Cass 29037
- Cedar 29039
- Chariton 29041
- Christian 29043
- Clark 29045
- Clay 29047
- Cole 29051
- Dade 29057
- Dent 29065
- Franklin 29071
- Greene 29077
- Grundy 29079
- Henry 29083
- Holt 29087
- Howard 29089
- Howell 29091
- Iron 29093
- Jackson 29095
- Jasper 29097
- Johnson 29101
- Knox 29103
- Laclede 29105
- Lawrence 29109
- Lewis 29111
- Lincoln 29113
- Linn 29115
- Madison 29123
- Mercer 29129
- Mississippi 29133
- Monroe 29137
- Newton 29145
- Nodaway 29147
- Oregon 29149
- Ozark 29153
- Perry 29157
- Phelps 29161
- Pike 29163
- Platte 29165
- Ralls 29173
- Ray 29177
- Reynolds 29179
- Scotland 29199
- Scott 29201
- Shannon 29203
- St. Charles 29183
- St. Clair 29185
- St. Louis 29189
- Taney 29213
- Texas 29215
- Vernon 29217
- Warren 29219
- Washington 29221
- Wayne 29223
- Webster 29225
- Wright 29229
Montana view state ↗ 20 N ▾
Nebraska view state ↗ 15 N ▾
New Hampshire view state ↗ 10 N ▾
New Jersey view state ↗ 19 N ▾
New Mexico view state ↗ 20 N ▾
New York view state ↗ 47 N ▾
- Bronx 36005
- Cattaraugus 36009
- Cayuga 36011
- Chautauqua 36013
- Chenango 36017
- Columbia 36021
- Delaware 36025
- Dutchess 36027
- Erie 36029
- Essex 36031
- Franklin 36033
- Fulton 36035
- Greene 36039
- Hamilton 36041
- Herkimer 36043
- Jefferson 36045
- Kings 36047
- Lewis 36049
- Livingston 36051
- Madison 36053
- Monroe 36055
- Nassau 36059
- Oneida 36065
- Onondaga 36067
- Orange 36071
- Oswego 36075
- Otsego 36077
- Putnam 36079
- Queens 36081
- Rensselaer 36083
- Richmond 36085
- Rockland 36087
- Saratoga 36091
- Schenectady 36093
- Schuyler 36097
- St. Lawrence 36089
- Steuben 36101
- Suffolk 36103
- Sullivan 36105
- Tioga 36107
- Tompkins 36109
- Ulster 36111
- Warren 36113
- Washington 36115
- Wayne 36117
- Westchester 36119
- Wyoming 36121
North Carolina view state ↗ 2 N ▾
North Dakota view state ↗ 13 N ▾
Ohio view state ↗ 19 N ▾
Oklahoma view state ↗ 3 N ▾
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 47 N ▾
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Berks 42011
- Blair 42013
- Bucks 42017
- Butler 42019
- Cambria 42021
- Carbon 42025
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Clarion 42031
- Clearfield 42033
- Clinton 42035
- Crawford 42039
- Dauphin 42043
- Elk 42047
- Erie 42049
- Fayette 42051
- Forest 42053
- Huntingdon 42061
- Lackawanna 42069
- Lancaster 42071
- Lawrence 42073
- Lehigh 42077
- Luzerne 42079
- Lycoming 42081
- Mercer 42085
- Monroe 42089
- Montgomery 42091
- Northampton 42095
- Northumberland 42097
- Perry 42099
- Philadelphia 42101
- Pike 42103
- Schuylkill 42107
- Snyder 42109
- Sullivan 42113
- Susquehanna 42115
- Tioga 42117
- Union 42119
- Venango 42121
- Warren 42123
- Washington 42125
- Wayne 42127
- York 42133
Rhode Island view state ↗ 3 N ▾
South Dakota view state ↗ 30 N ▾
- Beadle 46005
- Bennett 46007
- Bon Homme 46009
- Brookings 46011
- Brule 46015
- Charles Mix 46023
- Codington 46029
- Day 46037
- Fall River 46047
- Faulk 46049
- Haakon 46055
- Hanson 46061
- Harding 46063
- Hyde 46069
- Jones 46075
- Lawrence 46081
- Lincoln 46083
- Lyman 46085
- McPherson 46089
- Meade 46093
- Mellette 46095
- Minnehaha 46099
- Pennington 46103
- Perkins 46105
- Potter 46107
- Roberts 46109
- Spink 46115
- Stanley 46117
- Sully 46119
- Walworth 46129
Tennessee view state ↗ 64 N ▾
- Anderson 47001
- Benton 47005
- Bledsoe 47007
- Blount 47009
- Bradley 47011
- Campbell 47013
- Cannon 47015
- Carroll 47017
- Carter 47019
- Cheatham 47021
- Clay 47027
- Cocke 47029
- Coffee 47031
- Crockett 47033
- Cumberland 47035
- Davidson 47037
- DeKalb 47041
- Dickson 47043
- Dyer 47045
- Fayette 47047
- Fentress 47049
- Franklin 47051
- Gibson 47053
- Grainger 47057
- Grundy 47061
- Hamilton 47065
- Hardin 47071
- Haywood 47075
- Henderson 47077
- Johnson 47091
- Knox 47093
- Lake 47095
- Lewis 47101
- Lincoln 47103
- Loudon 47105
- Marion 47115
- Maury 47119
- McNairy 47109
- Monroe 47123
- Montgomery 47125
- Morgan 47129
- Obion 47131
- Polk 47139
- Putnam 47141
- Roane 47145
- Robertson 47147
- Rutherford 47149
- Scott 47151
- Sequatchie 47153
- Shelby 47157
- Stewart 47161
- Sullivan 47163
- Sumner 47165
- Tipton 47167
- Trousdale 47169
- Unicoi 47171
- Union 47173
- Van Buren 47175
- Warren 47177
- Washington 47179
- Weakley 47183
- White 47185
- Williamson 47187
- Wilson 47189
Vermont view state ↗ 13 N ▾
Virginia view state ↗ 20 N ▾
West Virginia view state ↗ 12 N ▾
Wisconsin view state ↗ 56 N ▾
- Adams 55001
- Ashland 55003
- Barron 55005
- Bayfield 55007
- Brown 55009
- Burnett 55013
- Calumet 55015
- Chippewa 55017
- Clark 55019
- Columbia 55021
- Crawford 55023
- Dane 55025
- Dodge 55027
- Door 55029
- Douglas 55031
- Dunn 55033
- Eau Claire 55035
- Florence 55037
- Fond du Lac 55039
- Forest 55041
- Grant 55043
- Green Lake 55047
- Iowa 55049
- Iron 55051
- La Crosse 55063
- Lincoln 55069
- Manitowoc 55071
- Marinette 55075
- Marquette 55077
- Menominee 55078
- Milwaukee 55079
- Monroe 55081
- Oconto 55083
- Oneida 55085
- Ozaukee 55089
- Pepin 55091
- Polk 55095
- Portage 55097
- Price 55099
- Racine 55101
- Richland 55103
- Rock 55105
- Rusk 55107
- Sauk 55111
- Sawyer 55113
- Shawano 55115
- St. Croix 55109
- Taylor 55119
- Vilas 55125
- Walworth 55127
- Washburn 55129
- Waukesha 55133
- Waupaca 55135
- Waushara 55137
- Winnebago 55139
- Wood 55141
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/ELPA3 ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/2717002 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T09:28:40Z