Eleocharis tortilis (Link) J.A. Schultes. Twisted Spikerush. Phen: Jul-Sep. Hab: Wet pine savannas, Coastal Plain seepage bogs, seeps, pocosin ecotones. In Coastal Plain-like seepages in the Ridge and Valley province, and rarely in high elevation mixed herbaceous and swamp seepage habitats in the mountains. Dist: NJ south to FL, west to TX, inland to sw. NC, ne. GA, w. TN, and AR. recently discovered in Rabun County, GA (Melanie Flood, pers. comm., 2022) in a high elevation (ca. 1700 ft) seepage with Acer rubrum and Platanthera clavellata. It is generally uncommon to rare outside of the Coastal Plain.

ID notes:Besides the obviously smaller tubercle, E. tortilis usually has acutely triangular culms, compared to the elliptic culms of E. tuberculosa, although see Smith et al. (2002) for a discussion on Texas specimens.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Other Comments: R

Synonymy: = Ar, C, ETx1, F, FNA23, G, GW1, K1, K3, K4, NY, RAB, Tat, Tn, Tx, Va, WH3; < Eleocharis simplex (Elliott) A.Dietr. – S, misapplied

Show in key(s)

Show parent genus

Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACW
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACW
• Great Plains: FACW
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACW

Heliophily: 8