BUR-REED (UN-BRANCHED)
Sparganium emersum
Bulrush Family [Typhaceae] 
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Bulrush Family [Typhaceae]
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status
flower
inner
petals
type
stem
sex
_2008_08_15_CatNFiddle_Danebridge_RushtonSpencer_515p1.jpg)
| 15th Aug 2008, Canal feeder, Rushton Spencer, Staffs. | Photo: © RWD |
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Like Branched Bur-Reed, Unbranched Bur-reed is monoecious, with separate male and female flowers on the same plants. The main difference is that Branched Bur-Reed is branched, whereas this one is not. The long linear leaves are keeled (stiff due to a V-shaped fold along its entire length). The erect leaves ar 3 to 12mm wide (slightly narrower than the 10 to 15mm range of Branched Bur-Reed)
It grows to 60cm high, less than half the 150cm height of Branched Bur-Reed. It is often to be found with leaves only and floating on the surface of the water - with the floating leaves being flat (or only slightly keeled). |
__2008_08_15_CatNFiddle_Danebridge_RushtonSpencer_511p.jpg)
| 15th Aug 2008, Canal feeder, Rushton Spencer, Staffs. | Photo: © RWD |
| The both male and female flowers are spherical, the male are at the top of the stem with the female flowers below them. The male have a crowd of yellowish anthers around them whereas the female flowers many white styles with stigmas atop. Both are spherical. |
_2008_08_15_CatNFiddle_Danebridge_RushtonSpencer_515p2.jpg)
| 15th Aug 2008, Canal feeder, Rushton Spencer, Staffs. | Photo: © RWD |
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| 24th June 2006, Birmingham Canal Navigations | Photo: © RWD |
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| 24th June 2006, Birmingham Canal Navigations | Photo: © RWD |
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| 24th June 2006, Birmingham Canal Navigations | Photo: © RWD |
| The long filaments and long cream-coloured anthers of Meadow-rues, especially the largest, Common Meadow-Rue, resemble the male flowers of the aquatic Bur-reed plants such as Branched Bur-Reed and Unbranched Bur-reed. However, that is as far as any resemblance goes, they are otherwise totally different. |
[flatOnWater]_2018_08_11_Maghull_Canal_RiverAlt_circ_LBS_445p1.jpg)
| 11th Aug 2018, Leeds & L/pool canal, Maghull, Sefton. | Photo: © RWD |
| The leaves of Unbranched Bur-Reed often lie on the surface of the water; they are not usually upright as the previous photos show. |
[flatOnWater]_2018_08_11_Maghull_Canal_RiverAlt_circ_LBS_446p2.jpg)
| 11th Aug 2018, Leeds & L/pool canal, Maghull, Sefton. | Photo: © RWD |
| The leaves are fairly narrow. |
[uprightLeaves]_2018_08_11_Maghull_Canal_RiverAlt_circ_LBS_447p6.jpg)
| 11th Aug 2018, Leeds & L/pool canal, Maghull, Sefton. | Photo: © RWD |
| Some do make a bid for air-supremacy, with their leaves stiffened by a lengthwise V-shaped or a shallow U-shaped cross section. |
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Some similarities to : Branched Bur-reed, but branched bur-reed has branched stems and is not usually found with floating leaves.
Not to be confused with :
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 Sparganium
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emersum
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⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Typhaceae
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 Sparganium (Bur-reeds) |
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Bulrush Family [Typhaceae]
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BSBI maps