Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Rufous Bulrush - Scirpus pendulus   Muhlenberg
Members of Cyperaceae:
Members of Scirpus with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 5 » Order Cyperales » Family Cyperaceae
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AuthorMuhlenberg
DistributionLower Piedmont and outer Coastal Plain. Records from Cabarrus and Carteret counties need an identification check, though locations of specimens are unknown to the website editors. The habitat for the Cabarrus County locale -- a damp, prairie-like meadow -- does seem to be appropriate, according to the NCNHP record.

ME to SD and CO, south to SC, northern FL, NM, and northern Mex.
AbundanceVery rare and local, and only a very few sites are still extant, with barely one or two in good condition/population (according to the NCNHP database). Clearly one of our rarest sedge species, it is considered as a Significantly Rare species.
HabitatMoist open glade-like sites, with or without scattered trees, usually over diabase or limestone -- such as damp places in diabase barrens, and open savannas over marl.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting June-August.
IdentificationStems are generally about 3 feet tall, with several leaves. The inflorescence is terminal and composed of spreading, generally lax branches; the spikelets are reddish brown. It is very similar to S. lineatus, but that species prefers damp wooded sites, and its flower stalks are scabrous essentially throughout (vs. only basally in S. pendulus).
Taxonomic CommentsNone

Note that 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)Pendulous Bulrush, Hanging Bulrush, Nodding Bulrush
State RankS1
Global RankG5
State StatusSR-O
US Status
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B.A. SorriePhoto taken May 2018, highway rest area, Berea, KY. GranvillePhoto_natural
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