''Amphiscirpus'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the
sedge family containing the single species ''Amphiscirpus nevadensis'', which is known by the common name Nevada bulrush.
This plant was formerly included in genus ''
Scirpus
''Scirpus'' is a genus of grass-like species in the sedge family Cyperaceae many with the common names club-rush, wood club-rush or bulrush (see also bulrush for other plant genera so-named). They mostly inhabit wetlands and damp locations.
Taxo ...
''.
[Goetghebeur, P. and D. A. Simpson. (1991). Critical notes on ''Actinoscirpus'', ''Bolboschoenus'', ''Isolepis'', ''Phylloscirpus'' and ''Amphiscirpus'' (Cyperaceae). ''Kew Bulletin'' 46:1 169-78.] It is native to western North America, including the western Canadian provinces and the northwestern United States, as well as southern South America. It grows in wet and seasonally wet habitat, often on
saline and
alkaline soils
Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico- ...
. It is a perennial herb growing from a small, hard
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
. The erect stems are stiff, ridged, and cylindrical, not three-angled. It lacks
aerenchyma
Aerenchyma or aeriferous parenchyma or lacunae, is a modification of the parenchyma to form a spongy tissue that creates spaces or air channels in the leaves, stems and roots of some plants, which allows exchange of gases between the shoot and t ...
, a trait which makes it different from many of its relatives. The stems are sheathed by tough long leaves. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
is a headlike cluster of a few cone-shaped spikelets accompanied by a long, stiff
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
which looks like an extension of the stem.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North AmericaPhoto gallery
Cyperaceae
Monotypic Cyperaceae genera
Flora of the United States
Taxa named by Sereno Watson
{{Cyperaceae-stub