Tall, mostly leafless stems rise from shallow water and support branching brown flower clusters. This native sedge is also known as Great Bulrush.
Soft-stem Bulrush. Select the photograph to enlarge it.
Family: Cyperaceae
Life cycle: Perennial
Height: 2–9 feet
Habitat: Ponds, lakes, marshes and other wet places
Explore reported observations. Sightings are not a complete range map.
Look in ponds, lakes, marshes and other wet places. Compare developing flower heads with mature fruiting plants.
Hard-stem Bulrush and Pale Great Bulrush are similar. Stem texture and close flower or fruit details help separate them.
Brown scales overlap around each spikelet. Tiny flowers develop into achenes; mature fruit and associated bristles help distinguish similar species.
Leaves are concentrated near the base. Spreading rhizomes can produce extensive colonies in shallow water.
1 field photograph. 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: Soft-stem Bulrush · Missouri Department of Conservation: Bulrushes
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