A leafy native wetland plant whose branching flower heads carry rounded clusters of small spikelets. Also called Green Bulrush.
Dark Green Bulrush. Select the photograph to enlarge it.
Family: Cyperaceae
Life cycle: Perennial
Height: 3–5 feet
Habitat: Marshes, wet fields, ditches and shores
Explore reported observations. Sightings are not a complete range map.
Look in marshes, wet fields, ditches and shores. Compare developing flower heads with mature fruiting plants.
Pale Bulrush and several other Scirpus species look similar. Mature floral scales, fruit bristles and sheath details are useful comparisons.
Spikelet heads start green and darken as they mature. Each contains many tiny flowers; their fruits are small achenes.
Broad, grasslike leaves grow along the stem. Examine the lower sheaths as well as the flower heads.
5 field photographs. Select a photograph to enlarge it.
Explore submitted observations for a view of this species’ reported distribution.
Observation maps show submitted records, not every place the plant occurs. Follow local access rules when visiting a site.
Explore more grasses, sedges and rushes in the field guide.
Photographs and species identifications: Brian Woolman, Where’s Wildlife.
Minnesota Wildflowers: Dark Green Bulrush · Missouri Department of Conservation: Bulrushes
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