''Scirpus flaccidifolius'', the reclining bulrush, is an uncommon plant species endemic to a small region in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. It is reported from only six populations in three counties in

( Greensville,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

and

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

) and one county in

(

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

). All known populations are within 100 km of each other, though the species does not seem to be in danger of extinction.Flora of North America, ''Scirpus flaccidifolius'' (Fernald) Schuyler, 1967.
/ref> ''Scirpus flaccidifolius'' is unusual in the genus in having culms (flowering stalks) that lean against other vegetation instead of being stiff and erect. The species also has wider but less numerous

spikelet A spikelet, in botany, describes the typical arrangement of the flowers of grasses, sedges and some other Monocots. Each spikelet has one or more florets. The spikelets are further grouped into panicles or spikes. The part of the spikelet that ...

s than closely related species (fewer than 15 spikelets per cluster but each spikelet 2–3 mm wide).Strong, M. T. 1994. Taxonomy of ''Scirpus, Trichophorum'', and ''Schoenoplectus'' (Cyperaceae) in Virginia. Bartonia 58: 29–68.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15560031 flaccidifolius Flora of Virginia Plants described in 1938 Flora of North Carolina