Dense patches of flowering Spikerush growing in a vernal pool.
Pale Spikerush (Eleocharis macrostachya) Native, very common, water-loving plant that grows 20–100 cm tall in colonies in marshes and wet habitats. Inflorescence is a narrow terminal spikelet, 5–40 mm long and 2–5 mm wide. Leaves are only vestigial. Unlike many other members of this genus, the individual flowers have 2 stigmas rather than 3, and fruits are lens-shaped rather than plump or triangular.
Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California , David Styer, 2019 (includes peak bloom times)
3 species of Spikerushes (Eleocharis genus) are listed (as of 2019 publication date), but not Eleocharis palustris. pp. 215-116.
Jepson eFlora: Eleocharis macrostachya (no common name) https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=23993
Jepson eFlora Key to Eleocharis: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_keys.php?key=8907
Taxon Page for Eleocharis: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=8907
Monterey County Wildflowers (only list this one Eleocharis species): https://montereywildflowers.com/cyperaceae-xcarex/
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COMPARED TO
Jepson eFlora:
Eleocharis palustris https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=23992
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In general:
Jepson eFlora (CA native and naturalized plants with botanical illustrations, videos) https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/
Calflora (CA native plants with species distribution maps, plant communities) https://www.calflora.org/search.html
Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page
Leaf Shape and Arrangement diagrams: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Leaf_morphology.svg
Native American Ethnobotany: Native plants used as food, medicine, dyes, tools, fibers and more by indigenous people of North America: http://naeb.brit.org/ (search by scientific name)
Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell ,2015 (2300+ species)
Monterey County Wildflowers (photographic guide of wildflowers, shrubs and trees) https://montereywildflowers.com/index/
Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016 (950+ species with photos)
5-minute video of Fort Ord Flora and Fauna, produced by David Styer: https://fortordcleanup.com/archives/2020/natural-treasures-of-fort-ord-90-amazing-photographs/
Fort Ord A Love Story, Dorothy E. Denning, 2024 (includes 1,000+ color photos)
Endangered Species Fact Sheets (species in Monterey County) http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/
CNPS Rare Plant Inventory: https://rareplants.cnps.org/Home/
Dense patches of flowering Spikerush growing in a vernal pool.
Pale Spikerush (Eleocharis macrostachya) Native, very common, water-loving plant that grows 20–100 cm tall in colonies in marshes and wet habitats. Inflorescence is a narrow terminal spikelet, 5–40 mm long and 2–5 mm wide. Leaves are only vestigial. Unlike many other members of this genus, the individual flowers have 2 stigmas rather than 3, and fruits are lens-shaped rather than plump or triangular.
Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California , David Styer, 2019 (includes peak bloom times)
3 species of Spikerushes (Eleocharis genus) are listed (as of 2019 publication date), but not Eleocharis palustris. pp. 215-116.
Jepson eFlora: Eleocharis macrostachya (no common name) https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=23993
Jepson eFlora Key to Eleocharis: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_keys.php?key=8907
Taxon Page for Eleocharis: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=8907
Monterey County Wildflowers (only list this one Eleocharis species): https://montereywildflowers.com/cyperaceae-xcarex/
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
COMPARED TO
Jepson eFlora:
Eleocharis palustris https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=23992
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In general:
Jepson eFlora (CA native and naturalized plants with botanical illustrations, videos) https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/
Calflora (CA native plants with species distribution maps, plant communities) https://www.calflora.org/search.html
Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page
Leaf Shape and Arrangement diagrams: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Leaf_morphology.svg
Native American Ethnobotany: Native plants used as food, medicine, dyes, tools, fibers and more by indigenous people of North America: http://naeb.brit.org/ (search by scientific name)
Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell ,2015 (2300+ species)
Monterey County Wildflowers (photographic guide of wildflowers, shrubs and trees) https://montereywildflowers.com/index/
Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016 (950+ species with photos)
5-minute video of Fort Ord Flora and Fauna, produced by David Styer: https://fortordcleanup.com/archives/2020/natural-treasures-of-fort-ord-90-amazing-photographs/
Fort Ord A Love Story, Dorothy E. Denning, 2024 (includes 1,000+ color photos)
Endangered Species Fact Sheets (species in Monterey County) http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/factsheet/
CNPS Rare Plant Inventory: https://rareplants.cnps.org/Home/
Still not definitive, but after studying about a hundred photos on CalFlora and iNat my "personal AI" now agrees that this is A. hickmanii" and not *Allium lacunosum.