Scirpus

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Scirpus

Scirpus atrovirens

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Poales
Family:	Cyperaceae
Genus:	Scirpus L.

Species

About 120; see text

The plant genus Scirpus consists of a large number of aquatic, grass-like species in the family Cyperaceae (the sedges), many with the common names club-rush or bulrush (see also bulrush for other plants so-named). Other common names are deergrass or grassweed.

The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and grows in wetlands and moist soil. Some species specialize in saline, marshy, environments such as intertidal mud-flats; others prefer ponds or lake-sides and river-beds. They have grass-like leaves, and clusters of small spikelets, often brown in colour. Some species (e.g. S. lacustris) can reach a height of 3 m, while others (e.g. S. supinus) are much smaller, only reaching 20-30 cm tall.

Scirpus species are often planted to inhibit soil erosion and provide habitat for other wildlife. They are also used in some herbal remedies; the plant's rhizomes are collected in the autumn and winter and dried in the sun before use.

The taxonomy of the genus is complex, and under discussion by botanists. Recent studies by taxonomists of the Cyperaceae have resulted in the creation of several new genera, including the genera Schoenoplectus and Bolboschoenus; others (including Blysmus, Isolepis, Nomochloa, and Scirpoides) have also been used. At one point this genus held almost 300 species, but many of the species once assigned to this genus have now been re-assigned, and it now holds an estimated 120 species.

Scirpus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Batrachedra cuniculata.

Selected species: (This list is incomplete, and may include some species now assigned to other genera.)

Scirpus ancistrochaetus Northeastern Bulrush
Scirpus atrocinctus Black-girdle Bulrush
Scirpus atrovirens Woolgrass Bulrush
Scirpus bicolor
Scirpus campestris Salt Marsh Bulrush
Scirpus cespitosus Deergrass
Scirpus congdonii Congdon's Bulrush
Scirpus cyperinus Cottongrass Bulrush
Scirpus diffusus
Scirpus divaricatus Spreading Bulrush
Scirpus expansus Woodland Beakrush
Scirpus flaccidifolius Reclining Bulrush
Scirpus fluitans Floating Club-rush
Scirpus fluviatilis - River Bulrush
Scirpus georgianus Georgia Bulrush
Scirpus hattorianus Bulrush
Scirpus lineatus Drooping Bulrush
Scirpus longii Long's Bulrush
Scirpus mariqueter
Scirpus microcarpus Small-fruit Bulrush
Scirpus mucronatus
Scirpus nevadensis Nevada Bulrush
Scirpus olneyi Olney Bulrush
Scirpus pacificus Pacific Coast Bulrush
Scirpus pallidus Pale Bulrush
Scirpus paludosus Salt Marsh Bulrush
Scirpus pedicellatus Stalked Bulrush
Scirpus pendulus Pendulous Bulrush
Scirpus polyphyllus Leafy Bulrush
Scirpus pumilus Dwarf Deergrass
Scirpus pungens Sharp Club-rush
Scirpus radicans
Scirpus robustus Salt Marsh Bulrush
Scirpus supinus Dwarf Club-rush
Scirpus sylvaticus Wood Club-rush
Scirpus tabernaemontani
Scirpus triqueter Triangular Club-rush

Selected species in a broader view of the genus

Bolboschoenus maritimus Sea Club-rush
Isolepis cernua Slender Club-rush
Isolepis setaceus Bristle Club-rush
Schoenoplectus acutus Tule
Schoenoplectus hudsonianus Alpine Deergrass
Schoenoplectus lacustris Common Club-rush
Scirpoides holoschoenus Round-headed Club-rush

[edit] External links

[edit] 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))