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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
ABBREVIATION :
ELEPAL
SYNONYMS :
Eleocharis macrostachya Britt. [36]
SCS PLANT CODE :
ELPA3
COMMON NAMES :
common spikerush
creeping spikerush
spikerush
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of common spikerush is Eleocharis
palustris (L.). It is a polyploid complex with morphologic, cytologic,
and geographic differentiation [37]; the entity E. macrostachya Britt.,
a western plant, is placed within the E. palustris complex [36,37]. The
two are sometimes classed as distinct species, but for the purpose of
this report the two will be treated as synomyns.
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
S. A. Snyder, January 1992
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Snyder, S. A. 1992. Eleocharis macrostachya. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Common spikerush is widely distributed across North America, from
Saskatchewan west to British Columbia, north into Alaska, Yukon
Territory, the Northwest Territories, south into parts of the Pacific
Northwest States to southern California, east across the Great Plains
into the southeastern states, and as far north as Minnesota and Illinois
[9,11,16,17,18]. Common spikerush's distribution in the East is not
well known because of difficulties in distinguishing it from E. smallii
(Britt.) [29]. It is native in Hawaii [39].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES11 Spruce - fir
FRES19 Aspen - birch
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES40 Desert grasslands
FRES41 Wet grasslands
FRES42 Annual grasslands
FRES44 Alpine
STATES :
AL AK AZ AR CA CO DE FL GA HI
ID IL IA KS KY LA MD MN MO MT
NE NV NM NC ND OK OR SC SD TN
TX UT VA WA WV WY AB BC NT ON
SK YT MEXICO
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
BITH CACH CARE COLM DEVA DINO
FLFO JELA JOTR LAMR MEVE PORE
ROMO SAGU SAMO ZION
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest
K019 Arizona pine forest
K021 Southwestern spruce - fir forest
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K037 Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K039 Blackbrush
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K041 Creosotebush
K049 Tule marshes
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K052 Alpine meadows and barren
K055 Sagebrush steppe
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K057 Galleta - threeawn shrubsteppe
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K072 Sea oats prairie
K073 Northern cordgrass prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K077 Bluestem - sacahuista prairie
K078 Southern cordgrass prairie
K081 Oak savanna
K094 Conifer bog
K096 Northeastern spruce - fir forest
K097 Southeastern spruce - fir forest
K098 Northern floodplain forest
K106 Northern hardwoods
SAF COVER TYPES :
217 Aspen
235 Cottonwood - willow
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Common spikerush is named as a dominant spcies in the following
classifications:
Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites in
northwestern Montana [3]
Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites in central
and eastern Montana [12]
Riparian dominance types of Montana [13]
Classification and management of riparian sites in southwestern Montana [14]
Riparian zone associations: Dechutes, Ochoco, Fremont, and Winema
National Forests [19]
Preliminary riparian community type classifcation for Nevada [22]
Associates of common spikerush include watercress (Nasturtium
officinale), monkey face (Mimulus guttatus), cattail (Typha spp.), sedge
(Carex spp.), bulrush (Scirpus spp.), rush (Juncus spp.), horsetail
(Equisetum spp.), western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii), creeping
bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia
cespitosa), foxtail barley (Critestion jubatum), water groundsel
(Senecia hydrophyllus), and willow (Salix spp.) [1,15,22,31].
Cross [6] reported common spikerush from southeastern Arizona growing in
association with yerbamansa (Anemopsis californica), Suksdorf dogbane
(Apocynum suksdorfii), and alkalai muhly (Muhlenbergia asperifolia).
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Common spikerush is an important as food and cover for waterfowl
[5,12,15]. It generally is of little or no value to livestock [12].
PALATABILITY :
The degree of use shown by livestock species for common spikerush in
three western states has been rated as follows [7]:
UT CO ND
Cattle fair poor poor
Sheep poor poor poor
Horses fair poor poor
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Common spikerush has been rated as having poor protein value and fair
energy value [7].
COVER VALUE :
The degree to which common spikerush provides cover and protection for
wildlife species has been reported as follows [7]:
UT MT ND
Upland gamebirds poor -- --
Waterfowl fair good good
Small birds fair -- --
Small mammals fair -- --
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Common spikerush is used in California to revegetate levees;
establishment, however, may be difficult [31].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Common spikerush may increase in response to grazing [24], but it is
subject to trampling damage by cattle [12].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Common spikerush is a native, perennial, rhizomatous graminoid. It
grows 0.66 to 4 feet (0.2-1.2 m) high with spikelets 2.45 to 7.35 inches
(6.45-18.67 cm) long. Its culms are tufted at the base [9]. The
seedheads are brown, scaley, and conical. Coastal specimens generally
have broader culms with purple to black scales, while inland specimens
show more rounded culms with lighter colored scales [23]. Common
spikerush is a nitrogen fixer [7].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Common spikerush regenerates primarily by rhizomes [26], colonizing
areas not conducive to seedling establishment. Seeds are always present
in the seed bank (long-lived propagules) and can germinate in standing
water [28].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Common spikerush grows in marshes and ditches and along streambanks,
lakeshores, riverbottoms, and in wet meadows and flood areas
[9,15,23,31]. It grows in the potholed, sand dune country of
south-central Washington [15], as well as in areas dominated by
sagebrush (Artemesia spp.) [1]. It occurs at the follow elevations:
State Elevation Authority
MT 2,200-8,120 feet (671-2,477 m) [3,12,13]
UT 3,700-9,900 feet (1,135-3,200 m) [30]
OR 3,000-6,800 feet (914-2,073 m) [19]
CO 5,000-9,000 feet (1,525-2,750 m) [1]
Common spikerush grows in a variety of soils, including those derived
from alluvial parent materials, alkaline, sand loams, sedimentary peat,
organic loams, the Quaternary group, Histosols, Mollisols, and Entisols
[1,4,12,13,19].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Common spikerush is a shade-tolerant, dominant graminoid in many wetland
communities in Montana, Colorado, and Utah [4,12,13,28]. It is
subdominant to water sedge (Carex aquitilis) in wetland habitats of
Colorado [1] and seral in some wetlands of Oregon [34]. Common
spikerush forms monotypic stands with needle spikerush (Eleocharis
acicularis) in riparian sites of northwestern Montana [3].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
The following anthesis dates for common spikerush have been recorded:
Southeast - July through October [32]
Colorado, Wyoming, Montana - May through August [7]
North Dakota - May through June [7]
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Common spikerush is adapted to fire because of its rhizomes.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Caudex, growing points in soil
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Common spikerush is usually top-killed by fire [34].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
Prescribed burns will reduce the litter layer in wetlands but often do
not affect plant species composition unless the organic layer is burned
[19].
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Common spikerush usually sprouts from rhizomes following fire [24,34].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
Common spikerush sprouted following prescribed burning in Saskatchewan
[24]. Following prescribed burning in October in Oregon, common
spikerush's aboveground standing crop was nearly twice that of unburned
plots [34]. One hundred percent of the shoots produced flowers in both
the fall-burned and unburned plots.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Young [34] cautions that wetlands and their respective upland
communities should not be managed separately because of the combined
importance of both for wildlife habitat. Thus, the effects of fire on
one community should be considered in conjunction with the effects on
the other community. He also recommends defining the soil-peat moisture
conditions before burning wetlands.
FIRE CASE STUDIES
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
CASE NAME :
Malheur NWR, Oregon
REFERENCE :
Young, R. P. 1986 [34]
SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION :
fall burn; information on severity unavailable
STUDY LOCATION :
The fire was conducted on Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, 40
kilometers south of Burns in southeastern Oregon. The common spikerush
(Eleocharis palustris) burn was located at
Martha Lake Field (T26S, R28E, S24, SE 1/4, & S25, NE 1/4).
PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY :
The study sites consisted of five wetland habitats dominated by
monotypic communities of emergent macrophytes. These sites ranged from
deep-water habitats to upland wet meadows. All dominant species were
rhizomatous and included common spikerush (Eleocharis palustris),
hardstem bulrush (Scirpus acutus), American threesquare (S. americanus),
alkalai bulrush (S. maritimus), common cattail (Typha latifolia),
burreed (Sparganium eurycarpum), awned sedge (Carex atherodes), Nebraska
sedge (C. nebraskensis), and Baltic rush (Juncus balticus var.
montanus).
TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE :
dormant
SITE DESCRIPTION :
Total area of the refuge is 72,219 ha and sits within a basin which
forms the northwest part of the Basin and Range Province of the western
United States. Two major rivers, the Silvies and the Blitzen flow
through the refuge. The climate is semiarid with moderate to cold
temperatures. Annual precipitation averages between 25 and 30
centimeters, the majority of which falls in winter and spring. Growing
seasons are shortened by cool springs, dry summers, and freezing in late
August or early September.
FIRE DESCRIPTION :
The burn on the common spikerush site was conducted on 20 October 1981.
Test burns were used to evaluate fire behavior before burning the main
unit. Fires were started with drip torches on the downwind boundaries
of all plots. Strip headfires were used after backing fires created a
wide line. Firelines were constructed where natural breaks did not
occur. Preburn feuls and weather conditions at the time of the burn
were as follows:
Preburn fuel loading: 389-805 gm2
Fuel height: 12 cm
Litter height: 6 cm
Fuel moisture: 3.7 percent
Temperature: 16-23 deg C
Relative humidity: 13-17 percent
Wind speed: 2-16 km/hr
Fire behavior and effects on fuels during the prescribed fire were as
follows:
Postburn
Rate of Spread Flame length Fire intensity resid. fuels
(m min-1) (m) (kW m-1) (g m-2) Reduction
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Headfire Backfire Headfire Backfire Headfire Backfire mean range (%)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20-30 1-1.5 1.5-3.5 1-1.5 3031-6272 152-314 33 0-96 94
FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES :
Fire effects were evaluated in terms of vegetative response, including
shoot height, density, weight, and growth rate; aboveground standing
crop; residual organic materials; and reproductive effort. These
measurements were taken for two years following the burn. Common
spikerush increased its aboveground standing crop and shoot densities.
Shoot weights decreased, although not significantly. Residues after 2
years did not differ much. All shoots produced inflorescences. Shoot
height and rate of height-growth following burning and nonuse treatments
for the first postfire growing season follow:
Fall burn Nonuse
Growth
period Height Growth rate Height Growth rate
Date (days) (cm) (cm/d) (cm) (cm/d)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
7 April 1982 -- 3 (4)* --- 2 (3) ---
2 May 1982 25 8 (7) 0.2 6 (4) 0.2
7 June 1982 36 30 (12) 0.6 27 (14) 0.6
3 July 1982 26 46 (17) 0.6 44 (15) 0.6
29 July 1982 26 50 (15) 0.2 56 (12) 0.3
19 Aug 1982 21 49 (18) 0 55 (14) 0
* All shoot height values = mean + or - (standard deviation)
FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS :
The purpose of this study was to provide information for wetland fire
management plans. Fire can play an important role in rejuvenating these
emergent species; however, long-term effects and effects of repeated
burning need to be further investigated.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Eleocharis palustris | Common Spikerush
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Index
Related categories for Species: Eleocharis palustris
| Common Spikerush
|
 |
