States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Giant Bur Reed

Sparganium eurycarpum

42
Good

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

Profile 88%

Height
2–6 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to August

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 15 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Sparganium

  • Bellura obliquaCattail Border Moth, Cattail Diver
  • Elophila icciusalisPondside Pyralid, Pondside Crambid
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Nymphalis antiopaMourning Cloak
  • Parapoynx badiusalisChestnut-Marked Pondweed Moth
  • Parapoynx obscuralisObscure Pondweed Moth
  • Parapoynx seminealisFloating-Heart Waterlilly Moth, Waterlily Casebearer
  • Plusia putnamiPutnam's Looper Moth, Lempke's Gold Spot
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
8BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Anas creccaGreen-winged Teal
  • Anas platyrhynchosMallard
  • Anas rubripesAmerican Black Duck
  • Antigone canadensisSandhill Crane
  • Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
  • Branta canadensisCanada Goose
  • Cygnus olorMute Swan
  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
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
Sparganiaceae
Flower color
White

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankS3
Global rankNot available
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources