Eleocharis geniculata
What is Canada’s Spikerush?
Physical Characteristics
Leaves:
- Widely egg-shaped
- 0.06-0.08 inches long
- Firm
- Hidden midrib
Flowers:
- 28-50 flowers per spikelet
- About 7 short, soft & dark hairs
- 0.13-0.25 inches long
- Egg-shaped
Fruit:
- One seeded
- Does not open to release seed when ripe
- 0.03-0.05 inches long
- Pear- or egg-shaped
- Bulging on both sides
- Ripening from colors of pale-green to purplish black
- Shiny
Stem:
- Densely clustered
- Hollow stems
- 1.5-11.8 inches long
- 0.03-0.05 inches thick
- Smaller at end than at base
Where Does it Grow?
USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Canada’s spikerush can be found in moist soil rich in calcium carbonate, wet mud, or on wet lake shores and streams.
Pros and Cons of Canada’s Spikerush
Docks, geese, muskrats, and nutria all eat portions of spike rushes, from seeds, to rhizomes and tubers. 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.