''Eleocharis acicularis'' is a species of spikesedge known by the common names needle spikerush and least spikerush. It is widespread across

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, central and southeastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

, North America and northeastern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

as far south as

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> It is also found in Australia, where it is probably an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived the ...

.Flora of North America, Vol. 23 Page 108, ''Eleocharis acicularis'' (Linnaeus) Roemer & Schultes in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 2: 154. 1817.
/ref> ''Eleocharis acicularis'' is an annual or perennial spikesedge with long, grasslike stems to about 15 centimeters (6 inches) in height, shorter in

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

conditions, from a creeping rhizome. In shallow water it will form short spikes of tiny flowers amongst flat overlapping bracts. The tiny flowers are less than five millimeters in diameter and are borne at the tip of each stem in single, sharply pointed, lanceoloid spikelets up to about six millimeters long. This is a plant of marshes,

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

s, and bogs. ''Eleocharis acicularis'' is sold commercially as an

aquascape Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium—in effect, gardening under water. Aquascape designs include a number of distinct styl ...

plant suitable for inclusion in artificial aquatic environments. It thrives with plenty of light and a high concentration of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, , is derived from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

and means "needle-shaped".

Varieties

Two varieties are recognized: * ''Eleocharis acicularis'' var. ''acicularis'' – most of species range * ''Eleocharis acicularis'' var. ''porcata'' S.G.Sm. – western North America from Alberta south to New Mexico and Louisiana

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment

Acicularis Flora of North America Flora of South America Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Freshwater plants {{Cyperaceae-stub