| Author | Chapman | |
| Distribution | Southern outer Coastal Plain. Only a few collection records exist for NC, one on Camp Lejeune (Onslow County), one at Pretty Pond (Brunswick County), and one at Sunny Point Ocean Terminal (Brunswick County). Also a sight record from New Hanover County in the NCNHP database, from a limesink pond.
NC to southern FL, MS, and TX; southward to South America. | |
| Abundance | Very rare. The NCNHP database has 5 records, 3-4 of them with large populations. The species is legally State Endangered. | |
| Habitat | Natural sinkhole ponds and depression ponds, mainly underlain by coquina limestone/marl. |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting July-September. | |
| Identification | The flowering stems are usually erect and emergent from water; they may be 2 feet tall or a bit more. In high water years, emergent stems may not be produced; instead, elongate, flexuous, vegetative stems are produced that float on the surface. Of the 5 NC spikerushes whose spikes are not obviously wider than the stems, only this and E. robbinsii have slender stems; E. elongata differs in its shorter flower scales (3.5-4.5 mm vs. 5.5-7.0 mm). | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
The genus Eleocharis, the spikerushes, are unusual members of the sedge family in that the culms (flowering stems) are round or oval (rarely triangular) in cross-section, rather than triangular in the great majority of our sedges. In addition, leaf blades are absent; just 1-2 basal sheaths are present at the base of the culm. There is a single, cylindrical or narrowly ovoid, spikelet of florets at the culm summit. Details of achene (seed) shape, color, ornamentation, bristle length, and beak (tubercle) shape and size, are critical ID factors. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | Florida Spikerush | |
| State Rank | S1 | |
| Global Rank | G5? | |
| State Status | E | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | | |
