Schoenoplectus smithii var. smithii A. Gray (redirected from: Scirpus smithii)
Family: Cyperaceae
[Scirpus smithii A. Gray]
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Tufted annual; stems to 6 dm, terete or obtusely trigonous; lf-sheaths variously bladeless or with a short, slender blade; bract 2-10 cm, ±erect, like a continuation of the culm; spikelets 1-several, capitately aggregated, ovoid, 5-10 mm, at least the larger ones with mostly 15-30 fls; scales obovate, broadly acute to obtuse and mucronate; style bifid; achene glossy, brown to nearly black, broadly obovate, 1.3-1.9 mm, lenticular or planoconvex; bristles barbed or smooth, well developed and surpassing the achene, or ±reduced or obsolete; 2n=38, 40. Wet shores, often in the intertidal zone of estuaries, but also along inland lakes; Que. to Minn., s. to Ga. and w. Tenn. Fr July- Sept. (Schoenoplectus s.) Fluctuating water-levels may favor plants with smooth or no bristles. Some authors segregate S. purshianus Fernald (S. debilis, a preoccupied name) on the basis of its unequally biconvex, rounded-obovate, more or less pitted achenes 1.75-2 mm, stouter bristles, scales with a distinct midvein, lacking a green central strip, and 2n=38 chromosomes, as opposed to S. smithii proper, with planoconvex, somewhat cuneate-obovate and subtruncate, smooth achenes 1.5-1.8 mm, more delicate and slender bristles, scales with a broad green midstrip and very obscure midvein, and 2n=40 chromosomes. The correlations are imperfect, and identification is often difficult.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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