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Common spikerush

Eleocharis palustris

Also called Common Spike-rush, Creeping Spike Rush, Marsh Spike Rush, Creeping Spikerush, Small's Spikerush, Marsh Spikerush, Common Spikesedge

Common spikerush
Photo: Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0

Common spikerush is a mat-forming perennial sedge that grows in wet soils and shallow water margins. It thrives with constant moisture and is mainly grown in ponds, bog gardens and wetland planting.

Family
Cyperaceae (Cyper family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil constantly wet or grow it submerged in shallow water.
Soil
Heavy, moist garden soil or wet mud; a pond margin or bog mix works well.
Temperature
Hardy in cold temperate climates; protect from prolonged hard frost in very cold regions.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Temp. Northern Hemisphere to Himalaya
Climate
temperate

About

Eleocharis palustris, the common spike-rush, creeping spike-rush or marsh spike-rush, is a species of mat-forming perennial flowering plants in the sedge family Cyperaceae. It grows in wetlands in Europe, North Africa, northern and central Asia (Siberia, China, Mongolia, Iran, Nepal, etc.) and North America (United States, Canada, Greenland, northern Mexico). Eleocharis palustris is not easily distinguished from other closely related species and is extremely variable worldwide itself. The species epithet palustris is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat.

Other Eleocharis plants

Needle spikerush · Purple spikerush · Glades spikerush · Chinese water chestnut · Yellow spikerush · Pale spikerush · Sand spikerush · Ovate spikerush · Parish's spikerush · Fewflower spikerush · Beaked spikerush · Viviparous spikerush

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Eleocharis palustris by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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