Common Name: Common Spike-Rush

General Information

Eleocharis palustris is a herbaceous perennial plant producing small clusters of stems up to 30cm tall from stout, creeping rhizomes[]. When growing in water, the stems can elongate up to 120cm tall if necessary in order to keep their heads out of the water[]. The plant spreads rapidly by means of its rhizomes and can form large colonies[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

An almost cosmopolitan plant in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere

Habitat

Marshes, ditches and the margins of ponds[]. Wet meadows, irrigation ditches, springs, seepage areas, freshwater marshes, rivers, and along lakeshores[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A wetland obligate plant, it grows in sunny positions on fine texture soils in neutral to alkaline or saline conditions. It
can grow in areas that are flooded in the spring and saturated in the fall, and also in flooded conditions where the water can be up to one meter deep for most of the growing season[]. Prefers slightly alkaline conditions with a pH around 7 - 8,[].
A very variable species, it is divided into a number of sub-species by some botanists[].
The plant can fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it available to other plants in the wetland community[].

Edible Uses

Sap eaten[]. No more information is given.

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The dense root mass of this plant makes it an excellent choice for soil stabilization in riparian and wetland sites[].
The rhizomes form a matrix for many beneficial bacteria, making this plant an excellent choice for wastewater treatment[].
A pioneering species, it populates mud flats very quickly as the water draws down and acts to stabilize them[].

Other Uses

The plant has been used as bedding, for stuffing pillows and to make mats and pads for sitting on[, ]. It used to be especially valued in the Netherlands for making beautiful matting[]..

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in the spring in pots standing in shallow water. The germination rate may be enhanced by lightly scarifying and then stratifying the seed in a mixture of water and sphagnum moss at 2°c for 30 - 45 days[]. Germination should begin within about one to two weeks at 32 - 38°c[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring.