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Schoenoplectus americanus
Species of grass-like plant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Schoenoplectus americanus (syn. Scirpus americanus) is an American species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names chairmaker's bulrush and Olney's three-square bulrush.
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Description
This perennial herb easily exceeds 2 metres (6+1⁄2 ft) 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.
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Distribution and habitat
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.[1] It grows in many types of coastal and inland wetland habitat, as well as sagebrush, desert scrub, chaparral, and plains.
Ecology
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.[1]
Uses
Native American groups used this plant for many purposes, including food, basketry, and hatmaking.[2] It is used for revegetation projects in salt marsh habitat in its native range.[1] It is a model organism in the study of salt marsh ecology and its response to climate change (currently global warming).[3]
References
External links
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