North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Scirpus cyperinus

Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth

woolgrass, woolgrass bulrush

Synonym(s): Scirpus cyperinus var. condensatus, Scirpus cyperinus var. eriophorum, Scirpus cyperinus var. laxus, Scirpus cyperinus var. pelius, Scirpus cyperinus var. rubricosus, Scirpus eriophorum, Scirpus rubricosus

Image ID: 17180
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: SCCY
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Scirpus cyperinus
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2017-01-01

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: SCIRP
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Scirpus
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Bulrush
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 20 species, herbs, of circumboreal distribution, also with species in Australia, Malaysia, and South America. The complex of species including S. atrovirens, S. georgianus, S. hattorianus, S. flaccidifolius are difficult to identify, and some have doubted their validity. Although further work on this group is needed, they do generally appear to behave as biological species despite their morphological similarity. Schuyler (1967) writes that the remaining species in the key differ in minute characteristics and often the most satisfactory means of identification is by carefully comparing specimens of them. Despite the close morphological similarity of these species, their characteristics are reasonably constant even in areas where they coexist and occasionally hybridize.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Whittemore & Schuyler in FNA (2002b); Schuyler (1967)=Z; Strong (1994)=Y;. Key adapted from C, FNA, GW, and Z. [for various taxa previously placed in Scirpus, also see Bolboschoenus, Cyperus, Isolepis, Schoenoplectiella, Schoenoplectus, and Trichophorum]

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: CYPERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Cyperaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Sedge Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 100 genera and 5000 species, mostly herbs, cosmopolitan.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Ball, Reznicek, & Murray in FNA (2002b); Muasya et al. (2009); Tucker (1987); Goetghebeur in Kubitzki (1998b).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Grass/Grasslike

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: (Jul-) Aug-Sep

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
					x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
					x					x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
710	SOS	2016-09-07	Faucette	View
726	SOS	2016-09-22	Flood	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
2017	1986-1811			View
2228	1986-2048			View
2750	1987-0237			View
4086	1992-0242			View
5601	1995-0725			View
6613	1996-0248			View
8143	2004-0153	2006-05-19		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
3250	2017	6	NCBG staff	1986-12-23	View
3251	2017	63	NCBG staff	1986-12-23	View
3252	2017	64	NCBG staff	1986-12-23	View
3253	2017	8	NCBG staff	1996-07-04	View
3879	2228	59	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
4575	2750	8	NCBG staff	1981-08-27	View
4576	2750	8	NCBG staff	1981-08-27	View
6414	4086	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
8115	5601	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
9340	6613	27	NCBG staff	1996-08-22	View
11397	8143	200	NCBG staff	2003-02-14	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: SCCY
USDA Common Name: Woolgrass
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), CAN (AB, MB, NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC), FRA (SPM)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Graminoid

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	OBL		OBL		FACW	OBL		OBL	OBL	OBL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Scirpus cyperinus
COMMON NAME: Woolgrass Bulrush
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, GW, K, Pa, RAB, Tn, W, WH3; < S. cyperinus - C; > S. cyperinus var. cyperinus - F, Va, WV; > S. cyperinus var. pelius Fernald - F, Va, WV; > S. rubricosus Fernald - F, WV; > S. cyperinus - G, S; > S. eriophorum Michaux - G, S]
PHENOLOGY: (Jul-) Aug-Sep.
HABITAT: Marshes, ditches, beaver ponds, disturbed wet ground.
COMMENTS: NL (Newfoundland) west to BC, south to c. peninsular FL, e. TX, and OR. The varieties may be worthy of recognition.
RANGE MAP: Scirpus cyperinus.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Cyperaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Sedge Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 100 genera and 5000 species, mostly herbs, cosmopolitan.
REFERENCE: Ball, Reznicek, & Murray in FNA (2002b); Muasya et al. (2009); Tucker (1987); Goetghebeur in Kubitzki (1998b).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Scirpus L. (Bulrush)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 20 species, herbs, of circumboreal distribution, also with species in Australia, Malaysia, and South America. The complex of species including S. atrovirens, S. georgianus, S. hattorianus, S. flaccidifolius are difficult to identify, and some have doubted their validity. Although further work on this group is needed, they do generally appear to behave as biological species despite their morphological similarity. Schuyler (1967) writes that the remaining species in the key differ in minute characteristics and often the most satisfactory means of identification is by carefully comparing specimens of them. Despite the close morphological similarity of these species, their characteristics are reasonably constant even in areas where they coexist and occasionally hybridize.
REFERENCE: Whittemore & Schuyler in FNA (2002b); Schuyler (1967)=Z; Strong (1994)=Y;. Key adapted from C, FNA, GW, and Z. [for various taxa previously placed in Scirpus, also see Bolboschoenus, Cyperus, Isolepis, Schoenoplectiella, Schoenoplectus, and Trichophorum]

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Scirpus cyperinus in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Scirpus cyperinus in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Scirpus cyperinus in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Scirpus cyperinus in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Scirpus cyperinus in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Scirpus cyperinus

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 17180 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 17180 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 17180 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)