| Author | (Muhlenberg ex Bigelow) A. Love & D. Love | |
| Distribution | Outer Coastal Plain only. Specimens were collected at Lake Mattamuskeet from 1950-58; nothing since. A specimen from Shackleford Banks (Carteret County) at herbarium GA needs careful ID; a report in RAB (1968) for Carteret County is unsubstantiated by specimens. A report in RAB for Dare County is a misidentified specimen of S. tabernaemontani. A report from Craven County -- Lake Ellis Simon in 1954 (NCNHP database) -- needs vetting.
Widespread in N.A., across Canada and most of the northern and western states, south to NC, northern AL, and TX. | |
| Abundance | Formerly very rare; positive identifications are known only from Lake Mattamuskeet, all historical. The species thus is considered historical (SH) and is listed as Significantly Rare. | |
| Habitat | Freshwater, or perhaps slightly brackish, marshes by Lake Mattamuskeet. Elsewhere, in swamps, marshes, and other wetlands, more often in alkaline (less acidic) waters/soils. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting June-August. | |
| Identification | Hardstem Bulrush is very robust, up to 9 feet tall, the round stems arising from thick horizontal rhizomes. Near the top of the stem is an inflorescence with generally erect to arching branches. From the base of the inflorescence grows a bract which appears as if it is a continuation of the stem. It is very similar to S. tabernaemontani, but female scale awns are longer (0.5-2 mm vs. 0.2-0.8 mm) and usually bent (vs. usually straight in that species). The two species are known to hybridize and so some specimens may not key cleanly. The species is noted for its solid (hard) culms (stems), as the common name implies, as opposed to soft and easily compressed stems in some other similar species. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | A long-used synonym is Scirpus acutus. Weakley (2018) lists var. acutus as the taxon occurring in NC.
The genus Schoenoplectus has been split from Scirpus and includes plants with sessile spikelets, or with spikelets with a few branches (vs. open, widely branching inflorescences). Most of our Schoenoplectus species appear to have no leaves (exceptions are S. etuberculatus and S. subterminalis), whereas Scirpus taxa have well-developed basal and stem leaves. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | Great Bulrush, Common Tule, Tule Rush, Viscid Bulrush | |
| State Rank | SH | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | [SR-P] | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | OBL link |
