Bog bulrush (Schoenoplectiella mucronata)

Synonyms: Scirpus mucronatus, Schoenoplectus mucronatus

Common Names: Ricefield bulrush

Description: First observed in the United States in New England in the early 1900s. May have been introduced to the Midwest in contaminated ornamental lilies.

Habit: Wetland perennial sedge with triangular stems that can grow up to 3 ft. tall.

Leaves: Triangular, bladeless sheaths wrapped around the base of the culm; 1-2 leaves per culm.

Stems: Triangular in shape and bend or droop near the tip.

Flowers: Clusters of 4-20 spikelets emerge at the top of stems, starting off light green in color and maturing to a rusty color with green centers, then turning brown. Each spikelet can mature into a seed in the fall.

Fruit and seeds: Achene, 1/16 in. long by 1/32 in. wide, dark brown to blackish in color.

Habitat: Native to Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. Can be found growing in wet, disturbed soil such as freshwater ponds, wetlands, rice fields and ditches.

Reproduction: By seeds, tubers, rhizomes and stolons.

Similar species: Native weakstalk bulrush (Schoenoplectiella purshiana), Chairmaker's bulrush (Schoenoplectus americanus), Common threesquare (Schoenoplectus pungens), and many other sedges.

Monitoring and rapid response: Can be extremely difficult to control. Hand pulling is effective for small populations. Crop rotation can help dry fields, reducing bog bulrush. Can also be effectively controlled using any of several readily available general use herbicides such as glyphosate.

Credits: The information provided in this factsheet was gathered from the Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas Field Guide and King County Dept. of Natural Resources & Parks.

Individual species images that appear with a number in a black box are courtesy of the Bugwood.org network (http://www.invasive.org). Individual photo author credits may not be included due to the small display size of the images and subsequent difficulty of reading the provided text. All other images appear courtesy of Adobe Stock (https://stock.adobe.com/).

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