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- Sparganium
- Sparganium eurycarpum
Sparganium eurycarpum — great bur-reed
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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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Facts
Great bur-reed is the largest bur-reed in New England. The stem base and tubers were eaten by the Klamath people, and the Okanagan-Colville used the plant as hay for cattle.
Habitat
Lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), riverine (in rivers or streams), shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade length
- Up to 2500 mm
- Flower petal color
-
- green to brown
- white
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Inflorescence type
- the flowers grow out of the axil (point where a branch or leaf is attached to the main stem)
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Fruit type (specific)
-
- the fruit is a drupe (fleshy, with a firm inner ovary wall that encloses a single seed)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, usually 1-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
- Fruit length
- 5–10 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Axillary bulblets
- there are no bulblets being produced in axils
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached by its base to the filament
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused (the number of carpels equals the number of locules)
- Flower bracts
- there are bracts associated with the flower
- Flower petal color
-
- green to brown
- white
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Form of style
- the style is lobed at the tip, and unbranched
- Fringed petal edges
- the petals are not fringed
- Hairs on flower stalk
- NA
- Inflorescence type
- the flowers grow out of the axil (point where a branch or leaf is attached to the main stem)
- Marks on petals
- there are no noticeable marks on the petals
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 2
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals and/or petals
-
- there are five petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- there are four petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- there are six petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- there are three petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal appearance
- the petals are green and/or leafy in texture
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Spathe
- the plant does not have a spathe
- Spathe form
- NA
- Spathe length
- 0 mm
- Stamen number
-
- 1 or 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamens fused outwards
- the stamens are not fused to the petals or tepals
- Style petal-like
- the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
- Tepals
- the petals and sepals are similar in size and color
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule ridges
- NA
- Fruit beak length
- 2–4 mm
- Fruit compartments
- there are two locules in the fruit
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is roughly triangular in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 5–10 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
-
- the fruit is a drupe (fleshy, with a firm inner ovary wall that encloses a single seed)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, usually 1-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
- Other markings on berry
- NA
-
Glands or sap
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Root septa
- the roots do not have transverse septa
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade basal lobes
- the leaf blades do not have basal lobes
- Leaf blade cross-section
-
- the leaf blade is U- or V-shaped
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
- Leaf blade faces
- both surfaces of the leaf blade are exposed
- Leaf blade form
- Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
- Leaf blade length
- Up to 2500 mm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
- the tip of the leaf blade is retuse (blunt or rounded, with a notch at the tip)
- the tip of the leaf blade is rounded, with no point
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins are parallel or slightly arched in the direction of the tip
- Leaf blade width
- 6–20 mm
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Stipule twining
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on this plant
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- in lakes or ponds
- in rivers or streams
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the leaves have no particular smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem is held upright
- Flowering stem leaves
- there is at least one fully-formed leaf on the flowering stem
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly or completely hairless
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Massachusetts
- uncommon (uncertain) (S-rank: S3?)
- New Hampshire
- rare (S-rank: S2), threatened (code: T)
Native to North America?
Yes
Synonyms
- Sparganium eurycarpum var. greenei (Morong) Graebn.
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
5. Sparganium eurycarpum Engelm. ex Gray N
great bur-reed. Sparganium eurycarpum Engelm. ex Gray var. greenei (Morong) Graebn. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Shorelines and shallow, circumneutral to basic, still or slow-moving water.