Plants perennial or sometimes annual, sometimes stoloniferous. Rhizomes present or absent, horizontal and long or ascending and caudexlike, 0.3–0.5 mm thick, scales usually evident, without tubers. Culms terete to angled, sometimes compressed, to 100 cm × 5 mm. Leaves: distal leaf-sheaths persistent, rarely disintegrating, membranous to papery. Spikelets to 40 × 7 mm; floral scales 5–500+ per spikelet. Flowers: anthers 0.2–2.5 mm; styles 2-fid or 3-fid. Achenes variously colored, biconvex to trigonous, 0.4–2 mm, smooth to markedly sculptured at 10X. Tubercles usually clearly different from achene apex in color, texture, and form, rarely merging with apex.

Discussion

Species ca. 140 (38 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

"shortened" is not a number.

smooth +  and markedly sculptured +
biconvex;trigonous +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
S. Galen Smith* +, Jeremy J. Bruhl* +, M. Socorro González-Elizondo* +  and Francis J. Menapace* +
R. Brown +
flattened +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
persistent +
enlarged +
glumaceous +  and foliaceous +
2-ranked +  and arranged +
ascending +  and appressed +
parallel +  and divergent +
terete +, rolled +  and plicate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
compressed +, terete +  and angled +
Worldwide +
hypogynous +  and subtending +
biconvex +  and trigonous +
multi-ranked +, 2-ranked +, 3-ranked +  and alternate +
flattened +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
with (1-)3-6(-30) bristles and/or scales +
2-3(-4)-carpellate +
3 (?) +  and 1 (?) +
stramineous;medium brown or red brown or blackish brown +
ascending +  and horizontal +
caudex-like +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
adventitious +
basal +  and proximal +
2-keeled +
cylindric +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1 +  and 3 +
septate +, hollow +  and solid +
compressed +, terete +  and trigonous +
papillate +
3-fid +  and 2-fid +
Eleocharis +
Eleocharis sect. Eleocharis +
Eleocharis +
section +
annual +  and perennial +