Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Weakstalk Bulrush - Schoenoplectiella purshiana   (Fernald) K. Lye
Members of Cyperaceae:
Members of Schoenoplectiella with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 5 » Order Cyperales » Family Cyperaceae
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Author(Fernald) K. Lye
DistributionMountains and Piedmont, becoming sporadic in the central and eastern Piedmont; very rare in the Sandhills (Powell's Pond in Aberdeen, Moore County).

ME to MN south to GA, MS, and MO.
AbundanceFrequent in the Mountains, but rare to uncommon in the Piedmont; very rare in the Sandhills.
HabitatImpoundment shores, beaver ponds, old millponds, montane bogs, often in sphagnum or on floating peat mats.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting late June-September.
IdentificationThese plants are annual, tufted, essentially leafless, with few to many erect or leaning stems 1-2 feet tall. Each stem has a single cluster of 1-4 spikelets, from which the "stem" continues to a slender point; actually this "stem" is an inflorecence bract. The appearance is like a small version of Common Threesquare (Schoenoplectus pungens).
Taxonomic CommentsNamed as Scirpus purshianus in older references, or Schoenoplectus purshianus in other more recent references.

Other Common Name(s)Bluntscale Bulrush
State RankS4? [S4]
Global RankG4G5
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B.A. SorrieExposed shore of freshwater pond, Plymouth, MA, 1980s. Photo_non_NCPhoto_non_NC
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