Common Spikerush
Eleocharis palustris

Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)
AKA: Creeping Spikerush, Marsh Spikerush
Photo taken on: June 22, 2013
Location: Mt. Crested Butte, CO
Life Zones: Plains to subalpine
Habitat: Moist areas, marshes, ditches

Grows to 3 feet high in dense tufts with leafless, stems and a single egg-shaped spike. Flowers are brown and scaly.

Flora of North America reference.

Needle Spikerush
Eleocharis acicularis

Family: Sedge (Cyperaceae)
AKA: Least Spikerush
Photo taken on: June 23, 2016
Location: Rio Chama, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Moist areas, marshes, ditches

Grows to 6" high in mats with slender grass-like stems. The lance-shaped flower spikes are less than ½" long. The scales have a central green vein with a reddish-brown vein on either side. Identified because it has been collected nearby on the Rio Grande.

Flora of North America reference.