Caldwell's Club-rush

Scientific Name:

Bolboschoenus caldwellii

Stand of Caldwell's Club-rush
Photo: A J Brown

Other Common Name:

Sea Club-sedge

Status:

Native to Australia and New Zealand.

Plant Description:

A perennial sedge with a rhizomatous root system. The smooth and hairless, triangular stems are from 30-90 cm high and 1-3.5 mm diameter and having several nodes (swollen bumps) from which 2-7 mm wide leaves arise.

Flower-heads is a compact head of 3-6 spikelets or with 1-3 spikelet clusters on 1-4 cm long branches. The several flower bracts (leaf-like extensions of the stem) are from 4 to 22 cm long. Fruit is a lens-shaped, straw-coloured to dark golden brown, shiny nut with concave faces, 3.5-4 mm long and 2.5-3 mm diameter.

Habitat:

Locally common in the cooler south-west part of Victoria. Mainly grows on the fringes of lakes and in marshes. Appears to tolerate some salinity. Often found with other Club-rush species.

Region	Salinity Class	Waterlogging Class
Wimmera, Western, Gippsland	S0, S1, S2	W2, W3, W4

Comments:

Two other Bolboschoenus species grow in Victoria. Marsh Club-rush (B. medianus) grows in a similar range and habitat to Cadwell’s Club-rush but is mainly distinguished in having a dark red-brown to black nut. The other species; B. fluviatilis is uncommon and chiefly grows on lake margins in the eastern part of the State. It has a pale yellow or grey nut with equal triangular faces. These Club-rushes are similar to general appearance to other medium to large rush-like plants, such as River Club-rush (Schoenoplectus validus), Sharp Club-rush (S. pungens) and Giant Rush (Juncus ingens) but differ in flower-heads and fruit and in having leafy stems.

Flowering spikelet of Caldwell's Club-rush
Photo: A J Brown

Flower-heads of Caldwell's Club-rush
Photo: A J Brown

Leaf of Caldwell's Club-rush
Photo: A J Brown

Caldwell's Club-rush on lake edge
Photo: A J Brown

Stems of Caldwell's Club-rush
Photo: A J Brown

Leaf and stem junction of Caldwell's Club-rush
Photo: A J Brown

This page contains material sourced from the Victorian Resources Online (VRO) website, originally published by the State Government of Victoria.

The content is provided under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia licence (CC BY 4.0 AU).

This material is presented in an archived form and is no longer maintained or updated. It is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon as current advice.

This site is hosted by the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), Federation University Australia. It is not endorsed by Agriculture Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria does not accept liability for any loss, damage or consequences arising from the use of, or reliance on, this material.