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Hardstem bulrush

Schoenoplectus acutus

Also called Common tule, Hardstem tule, Tule rush, Viscid bulrush, Hard Stemmed Bulrush, Tule, Hardstem Bulsedge

Hardstem bulrush
Photo: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possession, Public domain

Hardstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus) is a giant, rush-like sedge that grows in freshwater marshes and shallow water across North America. It thrives with its roots in wet or waterlogged soil, so keep it moist or grow it at the edge of a pond.

Family
Cyperaceae (Cyper family)
Grows as
Grass
Light
Full sun
Water
Keep the roots constantly wet or submerged in shallow water.
Soil
Heavy wet mud, clay or loam, or a pond shelf in shallow water.
Temperature
Hardy in cold winters; the rhizomes survive freezing and the stems die back in winter.
How easy
Easy
Native range
C. Kamchatka, Alaska to U.S.A., NW. Mexico, Clipperton I.
Climate
temperate

About

Schoenoplectus acutus (syn. Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris subsp. acutus), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America. The common name derives from the Nāhuatl word tōllin [ˈtoːlːin], and it was first recognized by the early Spanish explorers and missionaries in New Spain who saw the marsh plants in the Central Valley of California as similar to those in the marshes around Mexico City being used to construct shelters by the indigenous inhabitants.

Where it grows

It is native to freshwater marshes all over North America. It is especially common in wetlands in California.

Uses

Flour can be made by peeling and cutting up the older roots, crushing and boiling them, removing any fiber, and drying. The seeds can also be ground and mixed with the root flour.

Other Schoenoplectus plants

Chairmaker's bulrush · California bulrush · Common threesquare · Swaying bulrush · Grey Club-rush

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Schoenoplectus acutus 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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