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Rufous Bulrush

Scirpus pendulus

Found in fens, wet meadows and seeps over limestone, diabase, or other circumneutral rocks. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

45
Good

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
2–4 feet
Light
Full to part sun
Soil moisture
Average to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
April to July
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 4 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Scirpus

  • Bactra furfuranaRush Bactra
  • Bactra verutanaJavelin Moth
  • Euphyes dionDion Skipper, Sedge Skipper
  • Globia oblongaOblong Sedge Borer Moth, Large Noagria
  • Ledaea perditalisLost Owlet, 3-Stripe Cephalanthus caterpillar, Buttonbush Owlet
  • Neonympha areolataGeorgia Satyr, Helicta Satyr
  • Cosmopterix attenuatella
  • Cosmopterix ebriola
  • Cosmopterix scirpicola
  • Donacaula dispersella
Show all 11
  • Thopeutis forbesellus
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
27BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Scirpus

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Anas platyrhynchosMallard
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Aythya affinisLesser Scaup
  • Aythya americanaRedhead
  • Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
  • Aythya marilaGreater Scaup
  • Aythya valisineriaCanvasback
  • Bucephala clangulaCommon Goldeneye
  • Bucephala islandicaBarrow's Goldeneye
Show all 27
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Cygnus buccinatorTrumpeter Swan
  • Cygnus columbianusTundra Swan
  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
  • Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
  • Loxia curvirostraRed Crossbill
  • Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
  • Mareca streperaGadwall
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
  • Oxyura jamaicensisRuddy Duck
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Porzana carolinaSora
  • Rallus limicolaVirginia Rail
  • Spatula cyanopteraCinnamon Teal
  • Spizelloides arboreaAmerican Tree Sparrow
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Cyperaceae
Flower color
Red
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “April to July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Red” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “2–4 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Light · “Full to part sun” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
  • Soil · “wet to medium” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Also known as

Nodding Bulrush

Conservation status

Florida rankSNR
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources