Eleocharis macrostachya facts for kids
Pale Spikerush (Eleocharis macrostachya) is a type of plant called a spikesedge. It's also known as pale spikerush.
You can find this plant in many places across North America and some parts of South America. It loves wet places! This includes freshwater lakes, salty marshes, ponds, ditches, and even temporary pools of water called vernal pools. It also grows in wet meadows.
Quick facts for kids Eleocharis macrostachya |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eleocharis
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| Species: |
macrostachya
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What is Pale Spikerush?
Pale Spikerush is a plant that grows year after year. It has special underground stems called rhizomes. These rhizomes help the plant spread and grow new shoots.
This plant usually grows to be about half a meter to one meter tall. That's like knee-high to waist-high for many kids! It has bright green stems that stand straight up. Near the bottom, it has leaves that look like straw.
Flowers and Seeds
At the very top of each stem, you'll find a narrow, pointed, or cylinder-shaped cluster of flowers. This cluster is called an inflorescence.
Inside this cluster, there are smaller parts called spikelets. Each spikelet is about one or two centimeters long. It holds at least ten tiny flowers. Each flower is covered by a purplish-brown leaf-like part called a bract.
When the plant makes seeds, they are called fruits. The fruit of the Pale Spikerush is a small, yellow or yellow-brown seed called an achene. It has a whitish cone-shaped bump on one end. These seeds are very tiny, only one or two millimeters long.
