Flowering rush
Butomus umbellatus · Aquatic plants
A stand of it · Photo: Мирослав Соболев / CC BY
Also called Grass rush
State noxious weed listing
- Idaho: Control
- Oregon: A list
How to identify Flowering rush
- Long, narrow, triangular, twisting leaves
- Umbrella shaped clusters of pink flowers (not always present)
- Leaves rise from a rhizome
- Can grow fully submersed
Similar plants
Bulrushes have round or triangular stems without twisting; burreeds have flat leaves and spiky seed balls.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Grows from spring, flowers July and August if emersed, dies back in fall and overwinters as rhizomes and bulblets. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 50 F water |
| Light | Tolerates turbid water and low light |
| Depth | Moist shoreline to about 20 feet of water |
| How it spreads | Rhizome fragments and bulblets; few viable seeds in the West |
| Habitat | Lakes, reservoirs, canals and slow rivers; on mud, sand or gravel. |
Why it matters in a lake
Submersed plants can grow in deep water and may never flower, making them hard to spot. Listed noxious in Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Rare
- Wyoming: Not recorded
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Alismatales |
| Family | Butomaceae |
| Scientific name | Butomus umbellatus |
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Baltic rushNeed a hand?
Is it taking over your lake?
We identify what is growing, map how much of it there is and build a control plan that targets it without harming the rest of the lake.
Idaho / Wyoming (208) 501-4531Oregon (541) 280-0596