Large Spike Rush
Eleocharis macrostachya
Native status unresolved in Louisiana. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 35%
- Light
- 4 or more hours of direct sun
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At a glance
Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 28 Louisiana parishes.
Who uses this plant?
6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Eleocharis
- Bactra furfuranaRush Bactra
- Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
- Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
- Parapoynx allionealisWatermilfoil Leafcutter, Bladderwort Casemaker
- Donacaula dispersella
- Thopeutis forbesellus
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
11BirdsRecorded eating Eleocharis in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- Ring-necked Duck5 diet records
- SoraSeeds. 4 diet records
- American CootSeeds. 3 diet records
- GadwallLeaves. 3 diet records
- Snow GooseLeaves. 3 diet records
- American WigeonSeeds. 2 diet records
- Sandhill CraneSeeds. 2 diet records
- American Black DuckSeeds. 1 diet record
- Canada GooseLeaves. 1 diet record
- Fulvous Whistling-duckSeeds. 1 diet record
Show all 11
- Red-winged Blackbird1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Birds that eat Eleocharis 11
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- SoraPorzana carolina
- American CootFulica americana
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Snow GooseChen caerulescens
- American WigeonAnas americana
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
Plant details
- Family
- Cyperaceae
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | Not available |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications