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Dark-green Bulrush

Scirpus atrovirens

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Category
Grass / Sedge / Rush
Sun
Full
Soil moisture
Wet to Medium-Wet
Bloom time
Jun–Aug
Notes
Cool

About Dark-green Bulrush

Dark-green Bulrush is a handsome and reliable sedge that brings lush, deep green texture to the damp corners of the landscape. Growing in dense clumps that reach 3 to 5 feet tall, this cool-season perennial is topped with attractive, branched clusters of dark green to brownish spikelets in mid-summer. It is native to much of eastern and central North America, where it is commonly found in wet prairies, ditches, and along the edges of marshes. Unlike some of its more aggressive relatives, Dark-green Bulrush tends to stay in well-defined clumps, making it a more manageable choice for smaller rain gardens or backyard pond edges. It provides excellent structural habitat for insects and its seeds are consumed by a variety of songbirds and waterfowl. This species is remarkably easy to grow, thriving in full sun and wet to medium-wet soils. It is particularly useful for stabilizing soil in areas that experience seasonal flooding, as its fibrous root system is adept at holding the earth in place.

Native range

Native to 40 states:

AlabamaArkansasArizonaConnecticutDelawareGeorgiaIowaIdahoIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMassachusettsMarylandMaineMichiganMinnesotaMissouriMississippiMontanaNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNebraskaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkOhioOklahomaPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasVirginiaVermontWashingtonWisconsinWest Virginia

County range map

BONAP county-level native range map for Scirpus atrovirens

Range map courtesy of BONAP (Biota of North America Program).

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