Cladium mariscus is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family known by the common names swamp sawgrass,[1] great fen-sedge,[2] saw-sedge or sawtooth sedge. Previously it was known as elk sedge.[3] It is native of temperate Europe and Asia where it grows in base-rich boggy areas and lakesides. It can be up to 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) tall, and has leaves with hard serrated edges.[4] In the past, it was an important material to build thatched roofs; harvesting it was an arduous task due to its sharp edges that can cause deep lacerations.[5]
Cladium mariscus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Cyperaceae |
Genus: | Cladium |
Species: | C. mariscus
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Binomial name | |
Cladium mariscus | |
Synonyms | |
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Subspecies
edit- C. m. californicum (S.Watson) Govaerts - California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Sonora, Coahuila
- C. m. intermedium Kük. - Australia, New Caledonia
- C. m. jamaicense (Crantz) Kük. - Latin America from Mexico to Argentina; West Indies; southeastern United States from Texas to Delaware; naturalized in tropical Africa and on many oceanic islands including Canary Islands, Madagascar, New Guinea, Hawaii
- C. m. mariscus - Europe, northern Asia and North Africa from Ireland and Morocco to Japan, including Germany, Italy, France, Scandinavia, Poland, Balkans, Ukraine, Russia, Siberia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Himalayas, Kazakhstan, China, Korea
References
edit- ^ NRCS. "Cladium mariscus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "Cladium mariscus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
- ^ Theocharopoulos, Michael; Georgiadis, Theodoros; Dimitrellos, Georgios; Chochliouros, Stergios; Tiniakou, Argyro (2006). "Vegetation types with Cladium mariscus (Cyperaceae) in Greece" (PDF). Willdenowia. 36 (Special Issue): 247–256. doi:10.3372/wi.36.36120. S2CID 86099302. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ^ The Worst Rural Jobs in History, Channel 4, 2006