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California Bulrush

Schoenoplectus californicus (Scirpus californicus)

California Bulrush Locations in US
California Bulrush Locations in Southeast US



USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration courtesy of University of Florida/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. Used with permission.

What is California Bulrush?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

  • Few
  • Mostly open brownish covers
  • Primary bract looks like part of the stem
  • Bracts 0.75-2.75 inches long
  • Bracts shorter than the flower
  • Scales about 0.13 inches long & egg-shaped
  • Dark brown in color

Flowers:

  • 1.5-4.72 inches long
  • Usually drooping
  • 50-100 spikelets
  • Spikelets sword-shaped
  • Spikelets 0.23-0.44 inches long
  • 30-50 flowers per spikelet
  • Brown
  • Blooms in spring

Fruit:

  • One seed
  • Does not open to release seed when ripe
  • Egg-shaped
  • About 0.08 inches long
  • Brown in color
  • Flat or slightly bulging

Stem:

  • Hollow stem
  • Closely clustered
  • 0.05-0.08 inches long
  • 0.31-0.86 inches thick near the base
  • 0.08-0.16 inches thick near the flower
  • 6 to 12 feet tall

Where Does it Grow?

California bulrush can be found in mud and in the shallow water of ponds and lakes but can tolerate water up to several feet deep.

Pros and Cons of Bulrush

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates. Seeds of bulrushes are consumed by ducks and other birds; while geese, muskrats, and nutria consume the rhizomes and early shoots.

How to Manage This Plant
Plant Glossary

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Photo Credits: The majority of the aquatic plant line drawings are the copyright of the University of Florida Center for Aquatic Plants (Gainsville). They are used with permission.

Aquatic plant photographs were provided by David Bayne, Jim Davis, Kelly Duffie, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, John Clayton, Chetta Owens, Diane Smith, Joe Snow, Don Steinbach, Bridget Robinson Lassiter and Peter Woods.

You may use these photos, so long as you give credit to AquaPlant.

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