Gulf Coast spikerush
Eleocharis cellulosa · Cyperaceae
Gulf Coast spikerush (Eleocharis cellulosa) is a perennial grass or grass-like plant in the Cyperaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 8 and warmer, down to about 12°F.
At a glance
| Type | graminoid USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 2.6 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | high USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.7–8.8 USDA |
| Bloom | July USDA |
| Flower color | Green USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 8 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having needs consistently moist ground. Its drought tolerance is rated none — it needs reliable moisture. It tolerates saturated, poorly drained ground well (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance high). It is recorded on soils from pH 5.7 to 8.8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 8.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 2.6 ft, making it about knee height. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of July. Flowers are green.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring, summer, fall. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 36 to 60 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 230 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 10 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated high. Its growth form is recorded as bunch.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Eleocharis
- needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis
- flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa
- jointed spikesedge Eleocharis equisetoides
- blunt spikerush Eleocharis obtusa
Similar role and hardiness
- Wilman lovegrass Eragrostis superba
- common barley Hordeum vulgare
- Virginia iris Iris virginica
- forked rush Juncus dichotomus
- Carolina redroot Lachnanthes caroliana
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol ELCE, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage porosity winter, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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