Eleocharis rostellata (Torr.) Torr.

beaked spikerush

Beaked spikerush is on numerous state lists of sensitive, threatened,
and endangered plants. It is listed as endangered in Maine [5],
extremely rare in Delaware [34], vulnerable in Virginia [25], critically
imperiled in North Carolina [38], threatened in Illinois [15] and
Montana [22], critically rare in South Dakota [17], and sensitive in
Washington [37]. Beaked spikerush is globally secure [22,38].

More info for the terms: fen, layering

Beaked spikerush is a native, tufted perennial sedge with short, stout,
often ascending or nearly vertical rhizomes [4,13,21,26]. Roots are
shallow; in a New York fen, 65 percent or more of beaked spikerush roots
were in the top 4 inches (10 cm) of soil [30]. The flattened, wiry
culms are mostly 1.3 to 3.3 feet (0.4-1.0 m) long. There are three
types of culms: layering, which root at the tips upon contact with
moist soil, fertile, and sterile. Spikes are 0.3 to 0.8 inches (0.8-2.0
cm) long and have many flowers [4,13,21,26].

Beaked spikerush is widespread in the Americas from southern Canada
south through Mexico to the West Indies, the Caribbean, and the South
American Andes [4]. Although it is widespread in the conterminous
United States, beaked spikerush occurs in scattered disjunct populations
[12,13]. It may not be present in every state, especially in the
Appalachian Mountains and the Ozark Mountains.

More info for the terms: climax, fire regime, high-severity fire, low-severity fire, marsh, peat

Beaked spikerush probably survives low-severity fire by sprouting from
rhizomes. In salt marshes of the Gulf Coast, prescribed low-severity
winter fires maintain early successional genera such as Scirpus and
Eleocharis [40]. Spikerushes occur on sites that experience
high-severity fire during extreme drought when water table levels drop
[1,18]. High-severity fires in coastal marshes result in either root
burns or peat burns. Root burns kill dense climax vegetation in marshes
and allow earlier successional plants such as spikerush to colonize the
site. Peat fires burn holes in the marsh floor and create areas of open
water [41].

The chance of fire in any given year in most marshes is low due to
moisture conditions. Marshes in the southeastern United States are
subject to severe drought coinciding with lightning ignition
approximately once every 30 to 100 years [18]. Salt marshes of the Gulf
Coast burn readily and are often ignited by lightning [41].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the term: litter

Prescribed fire is not practical in spikerush communities except during
drought years. Fire will reduce litter accumulation but will not change
species composition unless the fire burns the organic soil and rhizomes
are killed [19].

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More info for the term: hemicryptophyte

Hemicryptophyte

More info for the terms: cover, fen, minerotrophic, organic soils

Beaked spikerush is an obligate wetland species [28]. It occurs in many
types of alkaline wetlands including salt and brackish marshes, tidal
flats, alkaline seeps, bogs, stream margins, hot spring edges, and
swamps [12,13,21,23]. Beaked spikerush occurs near springs and seeps in
desert areas of the Southwest [24,39]. The depth to the water table
averages 2.2 inches (5.5 cm) for beaked spikerush sites in New York
[29]. In Ohio, beaked spikerush forms solid mats in meadows where the
water table is at or above the soil surface [8]. In northern Minnesota,
beaked spikerush occurs 4 inches (10 cm) above the water table in
spring-fen channels with peaty soil [10,11].

In a fen in New York, beaked spikerush occurs on wet minerotrophic
sites, nutrient-poor marl beds, and organic soils. (Marl beds are soils
formed from calcium carbonate precipitates.) Average soil pH for all
sites in New York was greater than 7.0 [30]. In the Minnesota
spring-fen, groundwater discharge from calcareous till maintains a pH
greater than 7.0 and calcium concentrations between 20 and 45 milligrams
per liter [10,11]. Brotherson [3] studied soil characteristics of a
common spikerush community in Utah in which beaked spikerush averaged
0.6 percent cover. Soil pH averaged 7.7, soluble salts averaged 4,003
parts per million, and organic matter averaged 32.7 percent. The
mineral fraction averaged 13 percent sand, 48 percent silt, and 39
percent clay [3].

Beaked spikerush occurs from sea level in Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific
coast salt marshes and tidal flats [13,16,23] to nearly 9,000 feet
(2,700 m) elevation in Colorado [6]. In Montana, it primarily occurs in
valley and foothill zones from 3,200 to 5,500 feet (915-1,675 m)
elevation [22].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

37 Northern white-cedar

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

FRES11 Spruce - fir
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES41 Wet grasslands
Beaked spikerush probably occurs in many other ecosystems.

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

K049 Tule marshes
K073 Northern cordgrass prairie
K078 Southern cordgrass prairie
K094 Conifer bog

More info for the term: high-severity fire

Beaked spikerush is probably top-killed by fire. Shallow rhizomes may
be damaged or killed by high-severity fire [18].

Waterfowl eat the stems, roots, and achenes of spikerush (Eleocharis
spp.) [13].

More info for the terms: codominant, cover, forest, marsh

Beaked spikerush occurs in saline or alkaline wetlands [13,21,23]. In
Montana thermal areas and alkaline seeps, beaked spikerush occurs with
common arrowgrass (Triglochin maritimum), hardstem bulrush (Scirpus
acutus), Torrey's rush (Juncus torreyi), and alkali muhly (Muhlenbergia
asperifolia). Adjacent wetlands may be dominated by hardstem bulrush or
common arrowgrass [14].

In a saline meadow near Utah Lake, Utah, beaked spikerush occurs at low
densities in a common spikerush (Eleocharis palustris) community with
sea milkwort (Glaux maritima), saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), and
Baltic rush (Juncus balticus) [3].

In northern Minnesota, beaked spikerush occurs near spring-fen channel
margins with mud sedge (Carex limosa), lesser panicle sedge (C.
diandra), tufted bulrush (Scirpus cespitosus), whitebeaked rush
(Rhynchospora alba), and common reed (Phragmites australis). These
channels have standing water and lack forest cover [10,11].

In a Delaware salt marsh, beaked spikerush is associated with saltgrass,
Olney threesquare (S. americanus), and saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina
patens) [31].

Beaked spikerush is codominant in meadows in western New York with
needle beaksedge (Rhynochospora capillacea). It forms small mounds or
tussocks within moss (Campylium stellatum) mats. It also occurs with
low nutrush (Scleria verticillata) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum
nutans). [29].

At a calcareous seep in Illinois with sparse to patchy ground cover,
beaked spikerush and shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) are
dominant. Needle beaksedge and tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
also occur [33].

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

Beaked spikerush habitat is threatened by development of coastal plains
and thermal areas [22,25]. Livestock damage the narrow spikerush zone at
stream margins while drinking and feeding [19].

AL AZ CA CO CT DE FL GA ID IL
IN IA KS LA ME MD MA MI MN MS
MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH
OK OR PA RI SC SD TX UT VT VA
WA WI WY BC NS ON MEXICO

Spikerush palatability is low for livestock and wildlife [19].

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Beaked spikerush generally flowers from July to September [21,26]. In
the Rocky Mountain region it flowers in July and August [4,22].

More info for the terms: high-severity fire, low-severity fire

Beaked spikerush probably sprouts from rhizomes after low-severity fire.
It may disappear from a site after high-severity fire.

More info for the terms: herb, rhizome, tussock

Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Tussock graminoid

More info for the terms: bulbil, layering, seed

Beaked spikerush regenerates vegetatively by sprouting and layering. It
sprouts from short shallow rhizomes, and it has elongated layering culms
which arch to the ground and root in moist soil from the apical bulbil
[4,23,30,39]. Beaked spikerush does not have long creeping rhizomes so is
not as colonial as common spikerush [13,21]. More biomass is allocated
to reproduction on nutrient-poor sites than on more fertile sites [30].

Beaked spikerush also regenerates by seed [6,29].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

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

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More info for the terms: marsh, peat, shrubs, succession, swamp

Facultative Seral Species

Beaked spikerush is an early colonizer of marl beds by seeding into wet
depressions [29.30]. After colonization, the marl sites in the
Byron-Bergen Swamp in western New York accumulate peat and gradually
become small hummocks dominated by beaked spikerush, needle beaksedge,
and moss. These small hummocks succeed to either moss mats with tufted
bulrush or large hummocks with shrubs and northern white-cedar (Thuja
occidentalis), tamarack (Larix laricina), and eastern white pine (Pinus
strobus) [29]. Succession towards northern white-cedar communities is
accelerated by a decrease in the water table level [8].

Beaked spikerush remained in a Delaware marsh dominated by Olney
threesquare, saltmeadow cordgrass, and saltgrass for 20 years. During
this time the marsh accumlated 4 inches (10 cm) of mud and debris [31].

The currently accepted scientific name for beaked spikerush is
Eleocharis rostellata (Torr.) Torr. (Cyperaceae) [4,12,13,21]. There
are no currently accepted infrataxa.