''Bolboschoenus fluviatilis'', the river bulrush, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family,

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' w ...

. Its range includes

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, New Zealand,

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, Canada, the United States, and northeastern Mexico. ''B. fluviatilis'' and its fruits are important as food sources for waterfowl 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 Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

or brackish water 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'' and '' Phragmites australis'' in the Hudson Valley.

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