Butomus umbellatus
A Eurasian aquatic plant that is both ornamental and invasive.
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Butomus umbellatus is a Eurasian aquatic plant species in the family Butomaceae, of which it is the only species. Commonly known as flowering rush or grass rush, it is a rhizomatous, hairless, perennial aquatic plant. Introduced into North America as an ornamental plant, it has become a serious invasive weed in the Great Lakes area and parts of the Pacific Northwest, while in Israel it is an endangered species due to habitat loss.
Scientific classification
- CladeTracheophytes
- CladeAngiosperms
- CladeMonocots
- OrderAlismatales
- FamilyButomaceae
- GenusButomus
- SpeciesButomus umbellatus
Named by L.
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Butomus umbellatus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 594757 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.03 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Butomus umbellatus
Where the butomus umbellatus has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (137,768 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 384 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Background
Butomus umbellatus is native to Eurasia and was first found in Canada in the late 1800s and in the United States in the early 1900s. Its name is derived from Greek bous, meaning 'cow' or 'ox', and tome, a cut, referring to the plant's swordlike leaves. Despite its English name, it is not a true rush. The plant grows on the margins of still and slowly moving water and has pink flowers with darker veins.
Its leaves are linear, pointed, triangular in cross-section, and arise in two rows along the rhizome. The inflorescence is umbel-like, with a single terminal flower surrounded by three cymes. The flowers are regular and bisexual, with three petal-like sepals and three petals, 6–9 stamens, and superior carpels. The fruit is a follicle, and seeds have no endosperm.
More in Aquarium and Aquatic Plants
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Butomus umbellatus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
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