Bolboschoenus novae-angliae — New England tuber-bulrush
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Facts
New England tuber-bulrush is a rare native of brackish tidal river shores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island; its range extends south to Virginia along the coastal plain. It produces robust spikes of medium to dark orange-brown spikelets. This species may be represent a hybrid of B. fluviatilis and B. robustus.
Habitat
Brackish or salt marshes and flats, floodplain (river or stream floodplains), fresh tidal marshes or flats, shores of rivers or lakes
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Leaf blade width
- 6–13 mm
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is like a seed, and surrounded by scales
- Fruit length
- 3–4.3 mm
- Leaf position on plant
-
- some leaf attachment points are above the midpoint of the stem
- the attachment points of all the leaves are at or near the base of the plant
- Perianth composition
- there are bristles attached at the base of the achene
- Fruit cross-section
-
- the fruit is biconvex or elliptic (widest in the middle and tapering to both ends) in cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 3.5–5 mm
- Floral bristle color
- the bristles are pale brown to brown
- Floral bristle number
-
- 1-4
- 5-7
- Floral bristle relative length
- the bristles are between one tenth as long as the achene, and equal in length to the achene
- Floral bristles
- the bristles are straight or slightly curved
- Floral scale hairs
- the floral scales have hairs on them
- Floral scale length
- 7–9 mm
- Floral scale nerves
- 1
- Floral scale translucent
- the floral scales are opaque
- Inflorescence bract angle
- the bracts are vertical or angled only slightly outwards
- Inflorescence bract number
- there are two to five bracts per inflorescence
- Inflorescence bract position (Sparganium)
- NA
- Inflorescence bracts
- there are at least two bracts, and they are either flat or folded or rolled in at the edges
- Inflorescence branching
- the inflorescence is branched
- Inflorescence crowding
- the inflorescence is at least somewhat spread out, with at least one branch coming from the main stem
- Inflorescence position
- the inflorescence is at the tip of the plant
- Inflorescence shape
- the aggregations within the inflorescence are roughly circular (not flattened) in cross-section
- Inflorescence type
- there are two or more flowers, spikes or flower clusters on a branched inflorescence
- Perianth composition
- there are bristles attached at the base of the achene
- Stamen number
- 3
- Stigma number
-
- 2
- 3
- Style division
- the top two thirds of the style is divided
- floral bristle barbs
- the bristles have tiny barbs on them
- plantlets budding at flower bases
- no
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene beak length
- 0.1–0.5 mm
- Achene surface texture
- the achene is smooth (it has no detectable texture)
- Achene tubercle relative width
- NA
- Achene tubercle width
- 0 mm
- Capsule relative length
- NA
- Fruit cross-section
-
- the fruit is biconvex or elliptic (widest in the middle and tapering to both ends) in cross-section
- the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 3–4.3 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is like a seed, and surrounded by scales
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, seed-like fruit) without a tubercle (a swelling or projection, usually of a different color or texture)
- Locules in capsule
- NA
- Seed length
- 0 mm
- Seed tail relative length
- 0 mm
- Seed tails
- NA
- Tubercle height
- 0 mm
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs or tubers
-
Leaves
- Auricle length
- 0 mm
- Auricle texture
- NA
- Auricles
- there are no auricles on the leaf sheath
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is flat or rolled in at the edges
- Leaf blade width
- 6–13 mm
- Leaf form
- all the leaves hold their form out of water
- Leaf position on plant
-
- some leaf attachment points are above the midpoint of the stem
- the attachment points of all the leaves are at or near the base of the plant
- Leaf septa
- the leaf blades do not have transverse septa
- Leaf sheath hairs
- the leaf sheathes are without hairs
- Pedicel length (Typha)
- 0 mm
- Stem leaf blade ligules
- there are no ligules at the leaf blade bases
- Stem leaf blades
- there are fully-developed leaves with leaf blades on the main stem
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- brackish or salt marshes and flats
- fresh tidal marshes or flats
- river or stream floodplains
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Plant height
- 30–150 cm
- Stem shape in cross-section
- the stem is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Stem texture near tip
- the stem feels smooth near the tip
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- uncommon (S-rank: S3), special concern (code: SC)
- Maine
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
- Massachusetts
- rare (uncertain) (S-rank: S2?)
- Rhode Island
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), concern (uncertain) (code: C*)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
4. Bolboschoenus novae-angliae (Britt.) S.G. Smith NC
New England tuber-bulrush. Schoenoplectus novae-angliae (Britt.) M.T. Strong; Scirpus cylindricus (Torr.) Britt.; S. novae-angliae Britt. • CT, MA, ME, RI. Brackish-tidal river shores.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Bolboschoenus fluviatilis:
- achenes 3.8-5.5 mm long, usually equilaterally trigonous, with isodiametric exocarp cells, and dried or dehisced anthers pale yellow to pale yellow-brown (vs. B. novae-angliae, with achenes 3-4.3 mm long, usually compressed trigonous, with exocarp cellas 1.5-3 times as tall as wide, and dried or dehisced anthers dark yellow to orange-yellow).
Synonyms
- Schoenoplectus novae-angliae (Britt.) M.T. Strong
- Scirpus cylindricus (Torr.) Britt.
- Scirpus novae-angliae Britt.