Cladium mariscus

Cladium mariscus is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names swamp sawgrass,^[1] great fen-sedge,^[2] saw-sedge or sawtooth sedge. Previously it was known as elk sedge.^{[citation needed]} It is native of temperate Europe and Asia where it grows in base-rich boggy areas and lakesides. It can be up to 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall, and has leaves with hard serrated edges.^[3] In the past, it was an important material to build thatched roofs; harvesting it was an arduous task due to its sharp edges that can cause deep lacerations.^[4]

Cladium mariscus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Cyperaceae
Genus:	Cladium
Species:	C. mariscus
Binomial name
Cladium mariscus (L.) Pohl
Synonyms
Schoenus mariscus L.

Subspecies

• C. m. californicum (S.Watson) Govaerts - California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Sonora, Coahuila
• C. m. intermedium Kük. - Australia, New Caledonia
• C. m. jamaicense (Crantz) Kük. - Latin America from Mexico to Argentina; West Indies; southeastern United States from Texas to Delaware; naturalized in tropical Africa and on many oceanic islands including Canary Islands, Madagascar, New Guinea, Hawaii
• C. m. mariscus - Europe, northern Asia and North Africa from Ireland and Morocco to Japan, including Germany, Italy, France, Scandinavia, Poland, Balkans, Ukraine, Russia, Siberia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Himalayas, Kazakhstan, China, Korea