Spikerushes
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.
For brief control information, see Efficacy of Herbicide Active Ingredients Against Aquatic Weeds by K. Langeland, M. Netherland, and W. Haller.
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.
