Alkali bulrush
Bolboschoenus maritimus · Aquatic plants
Flowers or seeds · Photo: Henry de Lange / CC BY
Also called Bolboschoenus paludosus, Scirpus maritimus, Saltmarsh bulrush, Cosmopolitan bulrush
How to identify Alkali bulrush
- Sharply triangular, leafy stems 1 to 4 feet tall
- Cluster of large, brown, egg shaped spikelets at the tip
- Long leaflike bracts below the cluster
- Hard round tubers on the rhizomes
Similar plants
Threesquare bulrush lacks leaves on the stem and has flowers on the side; river bulrush is taller with more open, branched clusters.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Shoots emerge in spring, flowers June and July, tops die in late summer and plants overwinter as tubers and rhizomes. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 50 to 55 F soil; full sun |
| Light | Needs full sun; tolerates turbid water |
| Depth | Moist shoreline to about 3 feet of water |
| How it spreads | Rhizomes, tubers and seeds |
| Habitat | Alkaline and saline marshes, playa margins, reservoir drawdown zones and ponds with fluctuating water. |
Why it matters in a lake
Very salt tolerant. The hard seeds and tubers are an important waterfowl food in alkaline marshes.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Common
- Oregon: Common
- Wyoming: Common
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Poales |
| Family | Cyperaceae |
| Scientific name | Bolboschoenus maritimus |
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