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• Trichophorum clintonii

Trichophorum clintonii — Clinton's bulrush, Clinton's clubsedge

Facts

Clinton's clubsedge is rare in New England, with a few populations on calcareous river shore outcrops in Maine. The plant is named after its discoverer, George William Clinton (1807-1885), a judge and son of a New York Governor, who began botanizing as a hobby when he was in his late fifties.

Habitat

Floodplain (river or stream floodplains), shores of rivers or lakes

Characteristics

• Flowers

  Anther length

  0.7–1.5 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

  there are no hairs on the floral scales

  Floral scale shape

  the floral scales are ovate (roughly egg-shaped)

  Floral scale translucent

  the floral scales are opaque

  Flower number per cluster

  • 2-5
  • 5-20

  Inflorescence bract angle

  the bracts are vertical or angled only slightly outwards

  Inflorescence bract number

  there is just one bract on the inflorescence

  Inflorescence bract position (Sparganium)

  NA

  Inflorescence bracts

  there is only one bract, and it looks like a continuation of the stem

  Inflorescence branching

  the inflorescence is on one or more stems with no branches

  Inflorescence crowding

  NA

  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 is one spike or raceme at the tip of the stem

  Perianth composition

  there are bristles attached at the base of the achene

  Stamen number

  3

  Stigma number

  3

  Style division

  the top two thirds of the style is divided

  floral bristle barbs

  the bristles have tiny barbs on them

• Fruits or seeds

  Achene tubercle relative width

  NA

  Achene tubercle width

  0 mm

  Capsule relative length

  NA

  Fruit cross-section

  the fruit is triangular to terete (circular) in cross-section

  Fruit length

  1.5–2 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

  Rhizome thickness

  0 mm

  Underground organs

  there are only slender roots on the plant

• 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 length

  6–250 mm

  Leaf blade width

  0.5–1 mm

  Leaf form

  all the leaves hold their form out of water

  Leaf position on plant

  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

  the plant has ligules at the leaf blade bases

  Stem leaf blades

  there are fully-developed leaves with leaf blades on the main stem

  Width of seed-producing inflorescence

  1.3–2.5 mm

• Place

  Habitat

  • terrestrial
  • wetlands

  New England state

  Maine

  Specific habitat

  • river or stream floodplains
  • shores of rivers or lakes

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Plant height

  7.5–36 cm

  Stem shape in cross-section

  the stem is roughly triangular in cross-section

  Stem texture near tip

  the edges of the stem feel rough near the tip

Wetland status

Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACU)

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae