''Bolboschoenus fluviatilis'', the river bulrush, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family,
Cyperaceae. Its range includes
Australia,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
New Caledonia,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, and northeastern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. ''B. fluviatilis'' and its fruits are important as food sources for
waterfowl
Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...
such as geese, ducks, bitterns, and swans. It also provides cover and nesting sites for these and other species of birds, as well as small mammals. Like other Bolboschoenus species, ''B. fluviatilis'' has strong tubers and rhizomes which help to stabilize
intertidal habitats by preventing erosion.
Habitat
River bulrush can be found in
fresh water or
brackish water
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
marshes, and in the quiet waters of streams and lakes. It has been shown to propagate and flourish in a wide variety of water depths, but produces the most biomass in shallowly flooded conditions. ''B. fluviatilis'', and other bulrush species, are threatened by pollution, habitat destruction, and competition from invasive plant species such as ''
Typha angustifolia
''Typha angustifolia'' L. (also lesser bulrush, narrowleaf cattail or lesser reedmace) is a perennial herbaceous plant of genus ''Typha''. This cattail is an "obligate wetland" species that is commonly found in the northern hemisphere in brackis ...
'' and ''
Phragmites australis
''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall.
Description
''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...
'' in the
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
fluviatilis
Flora of North America
Flora of Australia
Flora of New Zealand
Flora of New Caledonia
Plants described in 1836
{{Cyperaceae-stub