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Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Graminoid
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	OBL
Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring
After Harvest Regrowth Rate	None
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	High
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	Yes
Flower Color	Brown
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Dark Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Moderate
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Fine
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Rhizomatous
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)
Height, Mature (feet)	1.3
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None
Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	No
Anaerobic Tolerance	High
CaCO3 Tolerance	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	Low
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	Medium
Frost Free Days, Minimum	100
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	High
pH, Minimum	4
pH, Maximum	8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	11000
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	19000
Precipitation, Minimum	16
Precipitation, Maximum	60
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	14
Salinity Tolerance	Low
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-38
Reproduction
Bloom Period	Late Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Fall
Fruit/Seed Period End	Summer
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	Yes
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound
Seed Spread Rate	Moderate
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Moderate
Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Liliopsida -- Monocotyledons

Subclass  Commelinidae

Order  Cyperales

Family  Cyperaceae -- Sedge family

Genus  Eleocharis R. Br. -- spikerush P

Species  Eleocharis palustris (L.) Roemer & J.A. Schultes -- common spikerush P

 

Alternate Names

Eleocharis macrostachya, common spikerush

 

Uses

Wildlife and Livestock: Creeping spikerush has a moderately high protein content in the spring and good digestibility.  The tops are heavily grazed by both livestock and big game animals, especially after the seeds have ripened.  It produces nesting cover for waterfowl and ducks eat the seeds and geese graze the shoots.

 

Conservation Uses: This species has utility for erosion control, constructed wetland system applications, wildlife food and cover, wetland creation and restoration, and for increasing plant diversity in wetland and riparian communities.  Its dense root mass makes this species an excellent choice for soil stabilization in riparian and wetland sites.  The rhizomes also form a matrix for many beneficial bacteria making this plant an excellent choice for wastewater treatment.

 

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

 

Description

General: Sedge Family (Cyperaceae).  Creeping spikerush is a perennial, heavily rhizomatous wetland plant that is found from low to mid elevations.  It has a dense root mass that extends deeper that 40 cm in the soil profile.  The stems are singular or in small clusters and it will continue to grow to keep the heads out of the water if the water rises slowly.  The stems are upright, round, and may reach 1.2 m in height (height is dependent on the depth of water in the growing environment).  The leaves are reduced to sheaths clustered at the base of the stems.  The flowers are borne in a terminal spikelet, 1 flower per scale with 2 stigmas.  Plants typically flower from June through September.  The seeds are yellow to brown lenticular achenes, 1.5-2.5 mm long including tubercle, and subtended by up to 8 bristles.  The seed ripens in late August to October.  Seeds are held tightly in the seed head for a long period of time.

 

Distribution: It is found from the West Coast of the US, east to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and  south to Louisiana.  For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

 

Adaptation

It grows in wet meadows, irrigation ditches, springs, seepage areas, freshwater marshes, rivers, and along lakeshores.  It is a pioneering species that populates mud flats very quickly as the water draws down.  It can grow in areas that are flooded in the spring and saturated in the fall.  It can grow in flooded conditions where the water is up to one meter deep for most of the growing season.  It is a wetland obligate plant.  It grows on fine texture soils in neutral to alkaline or saline conditions.  It spreads rapidly by rhizomes and occasionally seed.  It will spread into areas that are too deep for seedling establishment.  It will develop a thick root mass that is resistant to compaction and erosion.  However, its roots grow less deeply than Nebraska sedge (Carex nebrascensis).  It can fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to other plants in the wetland community.

 

Creeping spikerush grows on sites that are either permanently flooded or seasonally flooded.  The plants can grow and thrive in permanent water up to 1 m deep or they can survive in areas where the water table drops to 30 cm below the surface late in the season.  Creeping Spikerush grows in areas that can be totally inundated for up to 3-4 months.

 

Seeds and Plant Production

Collection and cleaning: Seeds may be collected by hand striping the seed from the plant or clipping it using a pair of hand shears.  A power seed harvester may also be used.

 

The hammer mill is used to break up the large debris and knock the seed loose from the stem.  Cleaning can be accomplished using a seed cleaner with a No. 12 top screen and a solid bottom screen.  Screens should be sized so desired seed will fall through and debris and weed seed are removed.  Air velocity should be adjusted so chaff is blown away.  Air flow and screen size may require adjustment to optimize cleaning process for given situation.

 

Special Precautions: The germination rate may be enhanced by lightly scarifying the seed and then stratifying the seed in a mixture of water and sphagnum moss at 2°C for 30-45 days.

 

Greenhouse: Seeds need light, moisture, and heat for germination.  Place the seeds on the surface of the soil and press in lightly to assure good soil contact.  Do not cover the seed.  Soil should be kept moist.  The greenhouse should be kept hot (32°C to 38°C).  Germination should begin within about one to two weeks.  Maintain the moisture until the plants are transplanted.

 

Wild transplants: Wild plants can be collected and transplanted directly into the desired site. As long as no more than 4 dm2, 13-15 cm deep, is removed from any 1 meter square area, the hole will fill in within one growing season.  Care should be taken not to collect plants from weedy areas as these weeds can be relocated to the transplant site, and the hole left at the collection site may fill with undesirable species.

 

Establishment

Planting plugs (either from the greenhouse or wild transplants) is the surest way to establish a new stand of this species.  Plug spacing of 30-45 cm will fill in within one growing season.  The soil should be kept saturated.  Allow no more than 8 cm of standing water at any time during the first growing season.  Fluctuating the water level during the establishment year will speed the spread of the plants.  Water levels should be managed to enhance rhizome spread.

 

Management

Standing water should be no deeper than 1 m and should fluctuate throughout the growing season.  If deeper water levels are desirable, increase the depth slowly over the course of the growing season.  This species can tolerate periods of drought and total inundation.  Water levels can be managed to enhance or reduce spread as well as control terrestrial weeds.

 

Pests and Potential Problems

Few insect or disease problems have been encountered in the greenhouse.  Aphids will feed on the stems, but little or no damage has been noted and the vigor of the plant has not been affected.

 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information.  Look in the phone book under ”United States Government”.  The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

 

References

USDA NRCS. Wetlant plant fact sheet – creeping spikerush (Eleocharis palustris). Interagency Riparian/Wetland Project, Plant Materials Center, Aberdeen, Idaho.

 

Prepared By:

Dan Ogle, USDA NRCS Idaho State Office, Boise, Idaho.

 

Species Coordinator:

Dan Ogle, USDA NRCS Idaho State Office, Boise, Idaho.

 

Edited: 28sep05 jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

 

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture