Sparganium eurycarpum|giant bur-reed|Sparganiaceae

Sparganium eurycarpum.Arthur Haines.New England Wild Flower Society.gobotany.newenglandwild.org

Sparganium eurycarpum is an emergent aquatic perennial monocotyledon herb, to 1.8 m tall; colonial from rhizomes rooted in mud.

Leaves to 80 cm long 2 cm wide, cat-tail-like but more yellow green, midrib prominent, stiff, keeled in back.

Flowers very similar to S. americanum, green, female flowers with 2 stigmas, in stalkless, ball-shaped, spiky clusters, male flowers in smaller clusters above females along inflorescence stems about 2-3 cm wide, at base of zigzag stem above a leaf-like bract.

Fruit dry achenes, reverse-pyramidal-shaped (obconical), widest at top, hard.

Wetland status: OBL.

Frequency in NYC: Very infrequent.

Origin: Native.

Habitat: Edges of open ponds in shallow water.

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Sparganium eurycarpum giant bur-reed Sparganiaceae SPEU; Bx, pb; Q, cr (extirpated?); R, lp;