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| ## hardstem bulrush {#hardstem-bulrush .Title-Header}                 |
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| *Schoenoplectus acutus* (Muhl. ex Bigelow) A. & D. Love var.          |
| *occidentalis* (S. Wats.) S.G. Sm.                                    |
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| Plant Symbol = SCACO2                                                 |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & the Idaho Plant
Materials Center

### ![](media/image2.png){width="2.0in" height="2.0395833333333333in"}

**Alternate Names**

Bulrush, tule, black root. Known in some floras as *Scirpus acutus*
Bigelow var. *occidentalis* (S. Watson) Beetle.

## Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: Hardstem bulrush is similar to the cattail in edibility,
although it is purportedly sweeter. Young shoots coming up in the spring
can be eaten raw or cooked. Bulrush pollen is eaten as flour in bread,
mush or pancakes. Later in the season, the seeds can be beaten off into
baskets or pails, ground into a similar meal and used as flour. The
large rhizomes are eaten raw or cooked; sometimes they were dried in the
sun, then pounded into a kind of flour. *Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani*
(synonym: *Scirpus validus) ,* a similar species, has as much as 8%
sugar and 5.5% starch in rhizomes, but less than 1% protein (Harrington
1972).

The rhizome (underground stem) is used for the black element in basket
design. Rhizomes are obtained by digging around the plant and following
them out from the parent plant. Often the green stalks are cut, to make
the rooting area more accessible. Bulrushes are called black root by
Pomo basket weavers in California; the cream-colored rhizome is dyed
black for basketry designs. The rhizomes are soaked from 3 to 6 months
with acorns and a piece of iron, ashes or walnut husks until a dark
brown to black color is obtained. Rhizomes are then stored in coils to
dry, then woven into coiled baskets. Only about the thickness of a
toothpick, the split rhizomes are both flexible and strong.

Tule houses were common throughout many parts of California; the
overlapping tule matters were well-insulated and rain-proof. Willow
poles, arched and anchored into the ground and tied with cordage or bark
formed the framework. The walls are thatched with mats of tule or
cattail and secured to the frame. In Nevada, tules and willows were
bound together in a sort of crude weaving for \"Kani\", the Paiute name
for summerhouse. Tules and cattails were used as insulating thatch for
structures matting, bedding, and roofing materials. As thatching
material, these bulrushes were spread out in bundles, tied together,
then secured in place with poles.

Several California Indian tribes make canoes of tule stems bound
together with vines from wild grape. Groups located near the California
coast, on mud flats and in marshes, used tule to make large round
mud-shoes for their feet so they could walk without sinking. They also
make dwellings of tule. Shredded tule was used for baby diapers,
bedding, and menstrual padding. Women made skirts from tule. During
inclement weather, men wore shredded tule capes, which tied around the
neck and was belted at the waist. Duck decoys were made of tule.

*Other Uses*: Streambank stabilization, wetland restoration, wildlife
food and shelter, edible (young shoots, pollen, seeds, rhizomes),
basketry, houses, roofing material, matting, bedding, canoes. These
native plants are especially good for stabilizing or restoring disturbed
or degraded (including logged or burned) areas, for erosion and slope
control, and for wildlife food and cover. Bulrushes may be less suitable
for general garden use.

*Wildlife*: The seeds, being less hairy and larger than cattail, are one
of the most important and commonly used foods of ducks and of certain
marshbirds and shorebirds (Martin et al. 1951). Bulrushes provide choice
food for wetland birds: American wigeon, bufflehead, mallard, pintail,
shoveler, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, greater scaup, lesser scaup,
avocet, marbled godwit, clapper rail, Virginia rail, sora rail,
long-billed dowitcher, and tricolored blackbird. Canada geese and
white-fronted geese prefer the shoots and roots. The stems provide
nesting habitat for blackbirds and marsh wrens. Fresh emergent wetlands
are among the most productive wildlife habitats in California. They
provide food, cover, and water for more than 160 species of birds and
numerous mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The endangered Santa Cruz
long-toed salamander and rare giant garter snake use these wetlands as
primary habitat. The endangered Aleutian Canada goose, bald eagle, and
peregrine falcon use these wetlands for feeding and roosting.

Muskrats have evolved with wetland ecosystems and form a valuable
component of healthy functioning wetland communities. Muskrats use
emergent wetland vegetation for hut construction and for food.
Typically, an area of open water is created around the huts. Areas eaten
out by muskrat increase wetland diversity by providing opportunities for
aquatic vegetation to become established in the open water and the huts
provide a substrate for shrubs and other plant species. Muskrats opening
up the dense stands of emergent vegetation also create habitat for other
species. Both beaver and muskrats often improve wetland habitat.

####### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

**Description**

*General*: Sedge Family (Cyperaceae). Hardstem bulrush, a deciduous
herbaceous plant, is distinguished by their long cylindric stems from 5
to 8 feet tall. The shoots senesce in the winter. The leaves are
slender, v-shaped blades that are sheathed around the long stem. The
flowers are arranged in a spikelet and resemble orange-brown scales.
Hardstem bulrush has a tight panicle with 3 to many spikelets, and the
flower bracts are prominently spotted. Bulrushes have clonal growth,
with stout rootstocks and long, thick, brown rhizomes (underground
stems).

####### Distribution

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site. Bulrushes are often dominant emergent
vegetation found in marshes and wetlands throughout temperate North
America. Hardstem bulrush occurs across temperate North America to
British Columbia and east to the Atlantic coast (Hickman 1993).

##### Establishment

*Schoenoplectus* species may be planted from bare rootstock or seedlings
from container stalk or directly seeded into the soil. Germination
problems have been reported in the literature for *S. acutus*.
Consequently, live plant collections of this species are recommended.
Bare rootstock or seedlings are preferred re-vegetation methods where
there is moving water.

*Live Plant Collections*: No more than 1/4 of the plants in an area
should be collected. If no more than 0.09 m2 (1 ft2) should be removed
from a 0.4 m2 (4 ft2) area, the plants will grow back into the hole in
one good growing season. A depth of 15 cm (6 in) is sufficiently deep
for digging plugs. This will leave enough plants and rhizomes to grow
back during the growing season.

Donor plants that are drought-stressed tend to have higher revegetation
success. Live transplants should be planted as soon as possible in moist
(not flooded or anoxic) soils. Plants should be transported and stored
in a cool location prior to planting. Plugs may be split into smaller
units, generally no smaller than 6 x 6 cm (2.4 x 2.4 in), with healthy
rhizomes and tops. The important factor in live plant collections is to
be sure to include a growing bud in either plugs or rhizomes. Weeds in
the plugs should be removed by hand. Soil can either be left on the
roots of harvested material or removed. For ease in transport, soil may
be washed gently from roots. The roots should always remain moist or in
water until planted.

Clip leaves and stems from 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches); this allows the
plant to allocate more energy into root production. Plant approximately
1 meter apart. Plants should be planted closer together if the site has
fine soils such as clay or silt, steep slopes, or prolonged inundation.

Don\'t flood plants right away, or the seedlings will experience high
mortality. If possible, get the roots started before flooding the soils.
Ideally, plants should be planted in late fall just after the first
rains (usually late October to November). This enables plant root
systems to become established before heavy flooding and winter dormancy
occurs. Survival is highest when plants are dormant and soils are moist.
Fertilization is very helpful for plant growth and reproduction. Many
more seeds are produced with moderate fertilization.

*Seed Collections*: Select seed collection sites where continuous stands
with few intermixed species can easily be found. At each collection
location, obtain permission for seed collection.

-   Seed is harvested by taking hand clippers and cutting the stem off
    below the seed heads or stripping the seed heads off the stalk.
    Hardstem bulrush plants tend to hold the seed for a long period of
    time after seeds are mature, so harvesting time is more flexible.

-   Less than 1/2 hour is required to make a decent collection of 1 to 2
    cups of seed. The ease of collection is affected by water depth.

-   Collect and store seeds in brown paper bags or burlap bags. Seeds
    are then dried in these bags.

-   Seeds and seed heads need to be cleaned in a seed cleaner like a
    Crippen Cleaner.

-   Plant cleaned seed in fall. Plant in a clean, weed-free, moist seed
    bed. Flooded or ponded soils will significantly increase seedling
    mortality.

-   Broadcast seed and roll in or rake 1/4\" to 1/2\" from the soil
    surface.

-   Some seed may be lost due to scour or flooding. Recommended seed
    density is unknown at this time.

#### *Seed germination in greenhouse*:

-   Clean seed - blow out light seed. To grow seeds, plant in greenhouse
    in 1\" x 1\" x 2\" pots, 1/4\" under the soil surface. Keep soil
    surface moist. Put in temperature of 100 degrees F (plus or minus 5
    degrees). Seeds begin to germinate after a couple weeks in warm
    temperatures.

-   Plants are ready in 100 - 120 days to come out as plugs. By planting
    seeds in August, plugs are ready to plant in soil by November. These
    plants are very small; growing plants to a larger size will result
    in increased revegetation success.

-   In one study, greenhouse propagated transplants of hardstem bulrush
    appeared more vigorous than wild selected plants (Hoag et al. 1995).
    However, there were no significant differences in height or shoot
    density (spread) between greenhouse propagated and wild transplants.
    Wild collected transplants had a higher percentage of shoots flower
    and set seed. Greenhouse propagated transplants produced more above
    ground biomass (were more robust).

**Management**

Hydrology is the most important factor in determining wetland type,
revegetation, success, and wetland function and value. Changes in water
levels influence species composition, structure, and distribution of
plant communities. Water management is absolutely critical during plant
establishment, and remains crucial through the life of the wetland for
proper community management.

*Traditional Resource Management*: The plant must grow in
coarse-textured soil free of gravel, clay and silt for the roots to be
of the quality necessary for basket weaving. Plants are tended by
gathering and reducing the density between plants for longer rhizome
production. Sustainable harvesting of plants occurs through limiting
harvest in any given area. Fire is used to manage tule wetlands to
remove old stems and restore open water to the wetland. This stimulates
growth of new shoots from rhizomes and provides a bare soil substrate
for seed germination.

Many Native Americans feel the use of herbicides is inappropriate in
traditional gathering sites. Bulrush is densely rhizomatous with
abundant seed production. In most cases, it will out-compete other
species within the wetland area of the site, eliminating the need for
manual or chemical control of invasive species. Heavy grazing will
eliminate *Schoenoplectus* species as well as other native species.

**Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)**

This species is readily available from most nurseries. Contact your
local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation
Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under
"United States Government." The Natural Resources Conservation Service
will be listed under the subheading "Department of Agriculture."

**References**

Clarke, C.B. 1977. *Edible and useful plants of California*. University
of California Press. 280 pp.

Dahl, T.E. & C.E. Johnson 1991. *Status and trends of wetlands in the
coterminous United States, mid-1970s to mid-1980s*. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, USDI, Washington, D.C. 28 pp.

Harrrington, H.D. 1972. *Western edible wild plants*. The University of
New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 156 pp.

Hickman, J.C. (ed.) 1993. *The Jepson manual: Higher plants of
California.* University of California Press. 1399 pp.

Hoag, J.C. & M.E. Sellers (April) 1995. *Use of greenhouse propagated
wetland plants versus live transplants to vegetate constructed or
created wetlands*. Riparian/Wetland Project Information Series No. 7.
USDA, NRCS, Plant Materials Center, Aberdeen, Idaho. 6 pp.

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim, & A.L. Nelson 1951*. American wildlife and
plants: A guide to wildlife food habits*. Dover Publications, Inc. New
York, New York. 500 pp.

Murphy, E.V.A. no date. *Indian uses of native plants*. Mendocino County
Historical Society. 81 pp.

Roos-Collins, M. 1990. *The flavors of home: A guide to wild edible
plants of the San Francisco Bay area*. Heyday Books, Berkeley,
California. 224 pp.

Tiner, R.W. 1984. *Wetlands of the United States: Current status and
recent trends.* USDI, FWS, National Wetlands Inventory, Washington, D.C.
58 pp.

Timbrook, J. (June) 1997. *California Indian Basketweavers Association
Newsletter.*

**Prepared By**

*Michelle Stevens*

Formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

*Chris Hoag*

Interagency Riparian/Wetland Project, USDA, NRCS, Plant Materials
Center, Aberdeen, Idaho

**Species Coordinator**

*M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Sciences Department, University of California, Davis,
California

Edited: 27jan03 jsp; 060816 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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