Eleocharis macrostachya

Eleocharis macrostachya is a species of spikesedge known by the common name pale spikerush.

Eleocharis macrostachya
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Cyperaceae
Genus: Eleocharis
Species:
E. macrostachya
Binomial name
Eleocharis macrostachya
Synonyms[1]
  • Eleocharis perlonga Fernald & Brackett
  • Eleocharis xyridiformisFernald & Brackett

It is widely distributed in North America and occurs in parts of South America.[1][2] It is a plant of varied moist habitats, including freshwater lakes and brackish marshes and ponds, ditches, vernal pools, and wet meadows.

Description

Eleocharis macrostachya is a rhizomatous perennial generally reaching heights between one half and one meter. It has bright green erect stems and straw-colored basal leaves. The top of each stem is occupied by a narrow, lance-shaped or cylindrical inflorescence. The spikelet is one or two centimeters long and has at least ten flowers, each covered with a purplish-brown bract. The fruit is a yellow or yellow-brown achene with a whitish cone-shaped tubercle on one end, measuring one or two millimeters long.[3]

Use in phytoremediation efforts

E. macrostachya has been studied as part of wetland restoration, as well as the removal of arsenic in groundwater via rhizofiltration as part of phytoremediation.[4][5] Wetlands have the capacity to remove many conventional contaminants from wastewater, even in highly saline water.[6] Olmos-Marquez (2012) identified E. macrostachya as having the greatest arsenic retention in an experimental wetland, suggesting that it acts as a rhizofiltrator.[7][8]

References
  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. "Eleocharis macrostachya". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  3. Flora of North America, Eleocharis macrostachya Britton in J. K. Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 184, 1327. 1903.
  4. "Tree spade transplanting of Spartina pectinata (Link) and Eleocharis macrostachya (Britt.) in a prairie wetland restoration site". Aquatic Botany. 71 (4): 297–304. 2001-12-01. doi:10.1016/S0304-3770(01)00185-1. ISSN 0304-3770.
  5. Márquez, Mario Alberto Olmos; Rivero, Jesús Manuel Ochoa; Herrera, María Teresa Alarcón; Estrada, Eduardo Santellano; Vega-Mares, José Humberto; Aragón, María Cecilia Valles (2020). "Performance of a Pilot Subsurface Flow Treatment Wetland System, Used for Arsenic Removal from Reverse Osmosis Concentrate, in the Municipality of Julimes, Chihuahua, Mexico". Ingeniería y universidad (24): 10. ISSN 0123-2126.
  6. Berg, Elisa C.; Borges, Alisson C. (2020). "Use of plants in the remediation of arsenic-contaminated waters". Water Environment Research. 92 (10): 1669–1676. doi:10.1002/wer.1419. ISSN 1554-7531.
  7. Olmos-Márquez, Mario Alberto; Alarcón-Herrera, Maria Teresa; Martín-Domínguez, Ignacio Ramiro (2012-03-01). "Performance of Eleocharis macrostachya and its importance for arsenic retention in constructed wetlands". Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 19 (3): 763–771. doi:10.1007/s11356-011-0598-x. ISSN 1614-7499.
  8. Phytoremediation of arsenic using a chemical stabilizer and Eleocharis macrostachya in a contaminated mining soil. CRC Press. 2019-08-23. doi:10.1201/9781351046633-190/phytoremediation-arsenic-using-chemical-stabilizer-eleocharis-macrostachya-contaminated-mining-soil-ochoa-rivero-olmos-márquez-sáenz-uribe-alarcón-herrera. ISBN 978-1-351-04663-3.


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