BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Schoenoplectus acutus
hard-stemmed bulrush
| Scientific Name: | Schoenoplectus acutus (Muhlenberg ex Bigelow) Löve & Löve | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | hard-stemmed bulrush | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | SCHOACU | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Jun 2025) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S5 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
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| General Status Canada: | 4 - Secure (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Schoenoplectus acutus grows in "fresh, often calcareous to brackish marshes, fens, lakes, slow streams" (FNA 2002). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: | ||||||||||
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| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Schoenoplectus acutus is found throughout North America from Alaska to Nova Scotia, south to southern Mexico (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Specimens from Europe and northeastern Asia may belong to this species, but these are not included in the rank factor calculations because they are not confirmed. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025). See individual entries for distribution details about the two varieties. |
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| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Johnson, J. (2025) | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jun 27, 2025 | ||||||||||
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| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Beetle, A.A. 1941. Studies in the Genus Scirpus L. III The American Species of the Section Lacustres Clarke in American Journal of Botany 28:691-708. |
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Fassett, Norman C. 1940. A Manual of Aquatic Plants. McGraw- Hill Book Company, New York, New York. 382 p. |
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Fernald, M.L. 1950 Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th ed. American Book Company, New York. 1632 pp. |
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 23. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae (in part): Cyperaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 608 pp. |
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Gleason, H.A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp. |
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Godfrey, R.K., and J.W. Wooten. 1979. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States: Monocotyledons. Univ. Georgia Press, Athens. 712 pp. |
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Mohlenbrock, R.H. 1976. Illustrated flora of Illinois. Sedges: Cyperus to Scleria. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL. |
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Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 1183 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Species Summary: Schoenoplectus acutus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Mar 10, 2026).