Giant burreed
Sparganium eurycarpum · Aquatic plants
Flowers or seeds · Photo: Matt Berger / CC BY
Also called Broadfruit burreed, Bur reed
How to identify Giant burreed
- Tall, V shaped (keeled) strap leaves 2 to 5 feet
- Spiky, ball shaped flower and seed heads on branched stalks
- Leaves spongy at the base
- Rhizomes
Similar plants
Cattails have flat leaves and brown spikes; yellow flag iris has flat fans of leaves.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Shoots emerge in spring, flowers June and July, seed balls ripen in late summer, dies back in fall. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 50 F soil; full sun |
| Light | Needs full sun |
| Depth | Moist shoreline to about 2 feet of water |
| How it spreads | Rhizomes and seeds |
| Habitat | Marshes, pond edges and ditches on soft mud. |
Why it matters in a lake
Seeds are eaten by waterfowl and stands shelter wildlife.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Common
- Oregon: Common
- Wyoming: Common
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Poales |
| Family | Typhaceae |
| Scientific name | Sparganium eurycarpum |
Broadleaf cattail
Hardstem bulrush
Reed canarygrass
Purple loosestrife
Soft rush
Yellow flag iris
Broadleaf arrowhead
Western water hemlock
Beaked sedge
Baltic rushNeed a hand?
Is it taking over your lake?
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