Bolboschoenus maritimus
subsp. paludosus
Alkali bulrush, Bayonet grass, Salt-marsh bulrush
Scirpus campestris Britton; S. maritimus L. var. paludosus (A. Nelson) Kükenthal; S. pacificus Britton ex Parish; S. paludosus A. Nelson
Stout perennial from rhizomes that usually bear firm tubers; culms erect, sharply triquetrous, sides commonly concave, scabrous at the angles, to 1.5 m tall, 1–8 mm thick.
Several, flat or folded, scattered along the stem or all below the middle, 10–40 cm long, up to 1 cm wide; sheaths ventrally membranous at the summit, the veins diverging well below summit leaving a sharply triangular veinless area; the lowest sheaths sometimes bladeless; blades to 12 mm wide.
1-4, very unequal, elongate, green and leafy, surpassing the inflorescence, one much exceeding the others, up to 34 cm long, 1–6 mm wide.
Compact to partly open (compact when very young), unbranched terminal cluster or a simple branched cluster with up to half of the spikelets solitary or in clusters of 2–10 spikelets on 1–4 rays; spikelets (1) 2–40, oblong, with a roughened appearance, brown to stramineous, 7–40 mm long, (4) 7–10 mm thick.
Loosely imbricate, hyaline, lacerate distally and notched, orange-brown or straw- colored or lighter, 5–8 mm long, 3–4 mm wide; awn slender, exceeding the notch, slightly contorted, 1–3 mm long, 0.25 mm wide at the base.
Perianth bristles 6, about half the length of the achene, retrorsely barbellate, usually detaching separately from the achene and thus apparently absent; stamens 3; styles bifid (rarely trifid).
Obovoid to orbicular, mostly lenticular, tapered or cuneate at the base, rounded to truncate and apiculate at the apex, smooth, shiny, bright brown to straw-colored or pale, 2.3–4 mm long, 1.9–2.8 mm wide.
Fruiting: spring—fall.Saline, brackish, or alkaline shores and marshes to about 2900 m. Often found in roadside ditches with other halophytes due to roadside salting. Distributed nearly worldwide, widespread in suitable habitats in the Intermountain Region. Hybrids with B. glaucus known from Idaho.
