Cyperaceae
Common spikerush
Eleocharis palustris
- Family
- Cyperaceae
- Genus
- Eleocharis
Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants
Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free
Common names
By language (23)
- arz
- اليوشاريس بالستريس
- Belarusian
- Балотніца балотная
- Bulgarian
- Обикновена блатница
- Chinese
- 内蒙古荸荠, 中间型荸荠, 沼泽荸荠
- Czech
- Bahnička mokřadní
- Dutch
- Gewone waterbies
- English
- Common spikerush, Common spike-rush
- Estonian
- Sooalss
- Finnish
- Rantaluikka
- French
- Scirpe des marais, Héléocharis des Marais
- German
- Gewöhnliche Sumpfbinse, Gemeine Sumpfsimse
- hsb
- Bahnowa syćawka
- Irish
- Cíb dhéise
- Japanese
- クロヌマハリイ
- Kazakh
- Келтешаш
- Latvian
- Purva pameldrs
- Lithuanian
- Pelkinis duonis
- Norwegian Bokmål
- Sumpsivaks
- Polish
- Ponikło błotne, Heleocharis palustris
- Romanian
- Pipiriguț de baltă, Pipirițig de baltă
- Swedish
- Knappsäv
- Ukrainian
- Ситняг болотний
- Welsh
- Ysbigfrwynen ysbigfrwyn, Ysbigfrwynen
Synonyms
- Bulbostylis palustris (L.) Steven
- Chlorocharis palustris (L.) Rikli
- Clavula palustris (L.) Dumort.
- Cyperus palustris (L.) Sessé & Moc.
- Eleocharis crassa C.A.Mey. ex Boeckeler
- Eleocharis limosa Drege
- Eleocharis palustris var. glaucescens (Willd.) A.Gray
- Eleocharis palustris var. palustris
- Megadenus palustris (L.) Raf.
- Schoenus palustris (L.) Bernh.
- Scirpus lanceaeglumis C.B.Clarke
- Scirpus palustris L.
- Scirpus palustris var. major Schrad.
- Scirpus palustris var. uniglumis Junge
- Trichophyllum palustre (L.) House
Flowers
- In flower
- May to August (from 150 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
- Flower colour
- brown (USDA PLANTS Database)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Graminoid
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Alaska: native, Canada: native, Greenland: native, Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: native, St. Pierre and Miquelon: native
Photos
FlowerPhoto: alicia penney, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Георгий Виноградов (Georgy Vinogradov), CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Barry Walter, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Christian Fischer, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Katrin Simon, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Daderot, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Gert Wolters, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Norma Malinowski, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: LaurentOoo, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Eleocharis
- Chinese water chestnutEleocharis dulcisCyperaceae
- Needle spikerushEleocharis acicularisCyperaceae
- Dwarf spikerushEleocharis parvulaCyperaceae
- Fewflower spikerushEleocharis quinquefloraCyperaceae
- Onescale spikerushEleocharis uniglumisCyperaceae
- Ovate spikerushEleocharis ovataCyperaceae
- Many-stalked spike-rushEleocharis multicaulisCyperaceae
- Soft-stem spikerushEleocharis mamillataCyperaceae
- Purple spikerushEleocharis atropurpureaCyperaceae
- Canada spikesedgeEleocharis geniculataCyperaceae
- Jointed spikesedgeEleocharis equisetoidesCyperaceae
- Yellow spikerushEleocharis flavescensCyperaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.