Eleocharis species

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There are about 150 species of spikerushes worldwide, many aquatic, with about 2 dozen species native to Florida (Wunderlin, 2003). They may be encountered as floating tangled mats or dense clumps in the mud or as rooted green spikes emersed from a few feet of water, covering many acres. Some are cultivated as human food; some species are major food plants of birds and other animals.

Spikerushes are sedges. Stems unbranched, many gas canals in cross section; leaf blades none, just sheaths at the base of the stem; inflorescence a single spikelet, on stem tips, no bracts; spikelets of various sizes, overlapping scales, few-to-many flowers.

For brief control information, see Weed Control in Florida Ponds by D.D. Thayer, K. A. Langeland, W.T. Haller, and J.C. Joyce.