SCIENTIFIC NAME: Spargamium eurycarpum
COMMON NAMES: Common Bur Reed, Great Bur Reed, Giant Bur-reed, Broadfruit Bur-reed
BLOOM TIME: June, July, Aug
PLANT PROFILE:
- Tufted sedge 2-6 ft. tall, erect & unbranched.
- Upper leaves 1-5 in. long, may be rough.
- Flowers are green spikes, crowded into an elongated head 6 in. long; contains 5-15 spikes.
- Habitat; short roots form clumps in dry to wet forests & weed edges with partial shade.
- Occasional found in Illinois.
INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:
- Insect feeders include several leaf beetles, Water Lily Aphid, Cattail Billbug, larvae of the Bur-reed Borer Moth.
- Seeds consumed by various wetland birds, especially ducks including Wood Duck, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Sandhill Crane, American Coot, & King Rail.
- Muskrats consume the entire plant.
- Foliage sometimes browsed by White-tailed Deer.