Schoenoplectus americanus
Images by part: leaf (1) · flower (2) · fruit (0) · bark (0) · habit (0) · other (3)

Schoenoplectus americanus

Olney's threesquare bulrush · Chairmaker's Club-Rush · Chairmaker's bulrush · American bulrush · Olney's bulrush

Tier 2 Difficulty: medium Water: low Light: full_sun
Temperature
5–35 °C
Hardiness
Zone 4–9
0
Observations
1

Description

Source: leafsnap

Schoenoplectus americanus (syn. Scirpus americanus) is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names chairmaker's bulrush and Olney's three-square bulrush. It is native to the Americas, where it is known from Alaska to Nova Scotia and all the way into southern South America; it is most common along the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States and in parts of the western states. It grows in many types of coastal and inland wetland habitat, as well as sagebrush, desert scrub, chaparral, and plains. This rhizomatous perennial herb easily exceeds two meters in height. The stiff stems are sharply three-angled and usually very concave between the edges. Each plant has three or fewer leaves which are short and narrow. The inflorescence is a small head of several spikelets which may be brown to bright orange, red, purplish, or pale and translucent. They have hairy edges. The fruit is a brown achene. The plant reproduces sexually by seed and colonies spread via vegetative reproduction, sprouting from the rhizomes. This plant, particularly the rhizomes, are a food source of muskrat, nutria, and other animals; it is strongly favored by the snow goose in its wintering grounds. Native American groups used this plant for many purposes, including food, basketry, and hatmaking. It is used for revegetation projects in salt marsh habitat in its native range. It is a model organism in the study of salt marsh ecology and its response to climate change (currently global warming).

🎭 Submissiveness

Care Guide

💧 Water
☀️ Light Full sun

Sharp clubrush is found in habitats that receive abundant sunlight, for example the shallow margins of ponds and lakes. It prefers full sun but can also tolerate partial sun.

Ideal: Full sun
🌡️ Temperature 5–35°C

Sharp clubrush can adjust to a broad range of temperature conditions, but its distribution can still be constrained by various combinations of moisture and heat. It grows best in warm summer climates with sufficient rainfall or watering. Extended periods of cloudy, rainy weather, as well as long stretches of high temperatures, can raise the chance of Sharp clubrush dying. In winter, adequate protection from cold can increase the plant's survival rate.

Ideal temperature: 5–35°C
💨 Humidity
Humidity:
🪴 Soil
🌱 Fertilizer
🪴 Pot & Repot
✂️ Pruning
🌿 Propagating
🐛 Diseases & pets
☠️ Toxicity

Characteristics

Plant Type
Herb
Life Cycle
Perennial
Genus
Schoenoplectus
Family
Cyperaceae
Hardiness Zone
4-9
Mature Height
3.05 m
Mature Spread
30 cm to 61 cm
Leaf Color
Dark Green
Leaf Type
Deciduous
Flower Color
White, Yellow, Brown
Flower Size
0.25 cm to 0.51 cm
Bloom Time
Early summer, Mid summer
Planting Time
Spring, Summer, Autumn
Harvest Time
Late summer, Early fall
Native Area
Belize, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Jamaica

Tags (6)

Common Names (15)

en Olney's threesquare bulrush
en Chairmaker's Club-Rush
en Chairmaker's bulrush
en American bulrush
en Olney's bulrush
en Swordgrass
en Threesquare bulrush
en Bulrush
en Chair-maker's rush
en Three square
en American Three-square Bulrush
en Sharp clubrush
en Common three-square
en Olney's three-square bulrush
en Olney three-square