Carried by 9 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Eleocharis macrostachya is a species in the Cyperaceae (Sedge) family known by the common name Common Spikerush. It is widely distributed across North America and occurs in parts of South America. It is a plant of varied moist habitats, including freshwater lakes and brackish marshes and ponds, ditches, vernal pools, and wet meadows. This is a rhizomatous perennial generally reaching heights between one half and one meter. It has bright green erect stems and straw-colored basal leaves. The top of each stem is occupied by a narrow, lance-shaped or cylindrical flower cluster. The spikelet is one or two centimeters long and has at least ten flowers, each covered with a purplish-brown leaf. The fruit is a yellow or yellow-brown achene with a whitish cone-shaped tubercle on one end, measuring one or two millimeters long. The plant spreads by rhizomes and can fill up an area of suitable moisture.
Grass
2 - 3 ft Tall
Upright
Fast
Evergreen
Brown
Full Sun
High
Keep moist
Tolerates cold to -10° F
Slow, Standing
Tolerates any saturated or inundated soil.
Soil PH: 5.5 - 7.0
Shallow freshwater or brackish marsh on the margin of lakes or ponds, estuaries, large springs or seeps, and in drainage ditches
Wetland-Riparian
Due to its spreading tendency, use with caution in garden ponds or bioswales. Use with other marsh plants such as Carex spp., Bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus), Rush (Juncus spp.), Saltmarsh Fleabane (Pluchea odorata), Arrowhead (Sagittaria spp.), Willow (Salix spp.), and Cattail (Typha spp.)
Butterflies and moths supported
0 confirmed and 2 likely
Yellow-Collared Scape Moth
Cisseps fulvicollis