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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Dorothy Long

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Scirpus longii

Family:	Cyperaceae
Common Name:	Long's bulrush
Author:	Fern.
CPC Number:	3880

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Dorothy Long

Scirpus longii is Fully Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

New England Wild Flower Society

Elizabeth J. Farnsworth contributed to this Plant Profile.

Scirpus longii

This bulrush is found only in the eastern United States, mainly along the coastal plain, from Nova Scotia to southern New Jersey. A wetland plant, it inhabits open, peaty swales, river meadows, abandoned cranberry bogs, and other areas with fluctuating water levels. The species is notable for its stout rhizome, and its tendency to form distinctive, circular clones. Periodic fires appear to benefit the plant by stimulating flowering and enhancing seedling establishment. Although the species has been declining due to habitat conversion, competition with invasive species, and an absence of fire (and is now considered extinct in Connecticut and New York), the good news is that botanists have recently discovered several healthy populations.

Research and Management Summary:
A handful of individuals and institutions are studying the ecology of this species, and conservation planning is underway for this species throughout its range.

Plant Description:
Scirpus longii is a robust, perennial sedge that forms dense, leafy tussocks, with stems growing up to 1.5 m tall. The plants rarely flower, but colonize sites vegetatively and form circular clones by means of thick rhizomes. The species is also distinguished by its reddish-brown achenes (fruits), long bristles that exceed the scales, and its "woolly" inflorescences borne on relatively long pedicels that appear earlier in the year (June) than other bulrushes.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island

Habitat

Scirpus longii is an Atlantic Coastal Plain species occurring generally within 100 km of the seashore in wet meadows, grassy swales, sedge meadows, northern New England acidic fens, swamps and limnogenous fens, riverwash fens/marshes, and fresh water marshes, cranberry bogs, excavations, power line rights-of-way, and other disturbed areas (Rawinski 1990, Hill and Johansson 1992, Lortie 1996, Rawinski 2001, NatureServe 2001). The species is most commonly observed in sandy, shallow-water habitats with fluctuating water tables; soils may be saturated seasonally and undergo periodic drying. These habitats may show moderate peat development, with variable amounts of Sphagnum moss present (Schuyler and Stasz 1985).

Other plant species commonly found with Scirpus longii include: Aster nemoralis, Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex walteriana (Carex striata var. brevior), Carex bullata, Carex lasiocarpa, Carex livida, Carex stricta, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Cladium mariscoides, Eriophorum virginicum, Eupatorium album, Eupatorium resinosum, Gentiana autumnalis, Iris versicolor, Juncus canadensis, Lacnanthes tinctoria, Lophiola septentrionalis, Lysimachia terrestris, Muhlenbergia torreyana, Pognia ophioglossoides, Rhynchospora knieskernii, Rhynchospora pallida, Rosa nitida, Salix petiolaris, Spartina pectinata, Spiraea tomentosa, Utricularia intermedia, Vaccinium macrocarpon, and Woodwardia virginica (Schuyler and Stasz 1985, NatureServe 2001, Rawinski 2001).

Distribution

Scirpus longii is found from southwestern Nova Scotia to the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. The species occurs in: southwestern Maine (Maine Department of Conservation 1999); Rochester, New Hampshire (Sperduto and McCarthy 1939); southeastern and interior Massachusetts (Rawinski 2001); southern Rhode Island (Enser and Caljouw 1989); and a somewhat disjunct set of sites in New Jersey. The species is considered historic or extirpated in Connecticut and New York. Formerly reported from North Carolina (Fernald 1943), that specimen was found to be mis-identified and the species is no longer listed in that state's flora (NatureServe 2001). The rather sporadic distribution of the species along the coastal plain is attributed to the late Tertiary-early Pleistocene submergence of the continental shelf which left isolated relict populations of this "old coastal plain species" (Fernald 1943). However, the discovery of several new populations with stepped-up surveying may reveal more continuity among stations.

Number Left

Scirpus longii is known from 9 stations in Nova Scotia (Hill 1994); 10 populations in Maine (Rawinski 2001); 1 site in New Hampshire (Sperduto and McCarthy 1993); 13+ sites in Massachusetts (one said to contain the world's largest population at several thousand stems [Rawinski 2001]); and 30+ sites in New Jersey (NatureServe 2001). The majority of populations are small, with only a few dozen culms. It is likely that the global population numbers on the order of 10,000+ stems.

Protection

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Global Rank:	G2G3	1/9/2005	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	SC	1/19/1996	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

	State/Area	Rank	Status	Date

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

� Scirpus longii is a clone-forming, perennial sedge, with a uniquely thick rhizome that likely serves as a storage organ as well as for perennation. Clones of regularly-spaced, dense culms often take the shape of circles as new runners spread out laterally from a core that gradually dies back (Hill and Johansson 1992). This dead core seems to remain relatively free of vegetation, especially seedlings of shrubs that can shade out the bulrush; mechanisms for this exclusion are unknown (Hill and Johansson 1992).

� The plant flowers only sporadically in the wild, and disturbance to the stem (in the form of fire, herbivory by muskrats and cattle, ice-scouring, or transplanting) appears to stimulate flowering (Schuyler and Stasz 1985, Hill and Johannson 1992, Rawinski 2001).

� Wind is the most likely agent of pollination for Scirpus longii, as for most members of the Cyperaceae. Seeds may be dispersed by wind or water (Rawinski 2001).

� Seed viability is high, and many seeds germinate without a period of dormancy, sometimes producing a second generation within a single growing season (Schuyler and Stasz 1985, Brumback 1989).

� Schuyler (1963) observed that hybridization between Scirpus longii and Scirpus cyperinus can occur, but the two species are likely to be reproductively isolated due to differing flowering times, and morphological intermediates between the two have not been observed in the wild (Rawinski 2001).

� Fire and periodic flooding may also assist the plant by suppressing the growth of less tolerant plant competitors.

� A common invasive species, Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), however, has been cited as a threat to Scirpus longii where the two co-occur (Thompson et al. 1987, Malecki et al. 1993).

Threats

As articulated by NatureServe (2001) and Rawinski (2001), threats include:

� Conversion of habitat for development, with accompanying changes in hydrology and water quality of wetlands (due to ditching, impoundments, and diversions) where Scirpus longii occurs
� Fire suppression, leading to succession of shrubs and invasive species such as Lythrum salicaria as well as depressed sexual reproduction
� Eutrophication
� Herbiciding and other plant removal at power line rights-of-way

Current Research Summary

� Curtis Boehlen (Bates College Department of Biology, Lewiston, Maine) is studying the ecology of Scirpus longii along the Saco River in Maine.

� Nicholas M. Hill, Mount St. Vincent University Department of Biology (Halifax, Nova Scotia) has performed extensive research on Scirpus longii in Canada.

� The Committee on Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has conducted ongoing research on the Atlantic coastal plain flora of Canada.

Current Management Summary

� Tom Rawinski (Massachusetts Audubon Society (Lincoln, Massachusetts) has drafted a Conservation and Research Plan for the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) addressing Scirpus longii populations in New England. He has also undertaken extensive surveys for the taxon in Massachusetts.

� Volunteer task forces of the New England Plant Conservation Program (NEWFS, Framingham, Massachusetts) regularly monitor populations of Scirpus longii in New England.

� The New England Wild Flower Society has successfully germinated Scirpus longii from seed. Germination is good when seeds are sown soon after collection (Brumback 1989). More recent studies at NEWFS indicate that seeds can germinate after a cold, moist treatment as well (W. E. Brumback, NEWFS, personal communication). Plants have been potted well from field-collected cuttings, and potted plants have sometimes flowered. Scirpus longii now grows in the permanent collection at Garden in the Woods.

� Intensive land protection efforts are underway in Maine (The Nature Conservancy), Nova Scotia (COSEWIC 2000), and Massachusetts (Rawinski 2001).

Research Management Needs

Needed research and management activities include:

� Controlled, experimental studies of the effects of fire on recovery of Scirpus longii
� Quantitative studies of the impacts of invasive species on Scirpus longii
� Studies of the correlation of Scirpus longii occurrences with particular nutrient levels and other aspects of soil and water chemistry
� Experimental research to determine ecological factors that trigger flowering
� Studies to determine whether the species generates a seed bank in the wild

Ex Situ Needs

� Studies of long-term seed storage techniques are needed.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Barrows, J.S. 1938. Fryeburg, Maine: an historical sketch. Fryeburg, Maine: Pequawket Press.

Coddington, J.; Field, K.G. 1978. Rare and endangered plant species in Massachusetts. Cambridge, Massachusetts: New England Botanical Club.

Hough, M.Y. 1983. New Jersey wild plants. Harmony, NJ: Harmony Press. 414p.

Sorrie, B.A.; Somers, P. 1999. The vascular plants of Massachusetts: a county checklist. Westborough, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.

Books (Sections)

Fairbrothers, D.E. 1979. Endangered, threatened and rare vascular plants of the Pine Barrens and their biogeography. In: Forman, R.T.T., editor. Pine Barrens: ecosystem and landscape. Academic Press. New York. p 395-405.

Electronic Sources

COSEWIC. (2001). Species at Risk. [Web site] Environment Canada; Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/species/English/Default.cfm. Accessed: 2002.

MANHESP. (1993). Massachusetts Endangered Plants Fact Sheets. Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program; Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, Massachusetts. http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/nhfactplt.htm. Accessed: 2002.

NatureServe. (2008). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. [Internet].Version 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. Accessed: (June 17, 2008).

Journal Articles

Brumback, W.E.; Merhoff, L.; Enser, R.W.; Gawler, S.C; Popp, R.G.; Somers, P.; Sperduto, D.D.; Countryman, W.D.; Hellquist, C.B. 1996. Flora conservanda: New England. The New England plant conservation Program (NEPCoP) list of plants in need of conservation. Rhodora. 98: 233-361.

Crow, G.E.; Countryman, W.D.; Church, G.L.; Eastman, L.M.; Hellquist, C.B.; Merhoff, L.; Storks, I.M. 1981. Rare and endangered plant species in New England. Rhodora. 83: 259-299.

Enser, R.W.; Caljouw, C.A. 1989. Plant conservation concerns in Rhode Island; a reappraisal. Rhodora. 91: 121-130.

Fernald, M.L. 1911. A new species of Scirpus from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Rhodora. 13: 6-8.

Fernald, M.L. 1943. Scirpus longii in North Carolina. Rhodora. 45: 55-56.

Hill, N.M.; Johansson, M.E. 1992. Geographical Distribution and Ecology of Long Bulrush, Scirpus longii (Cyperaceae) in Canada. Rhodora. 94: 141-155.

Hill, N.M.; Keddy, P.A. 1992. Prediction of rarities from habitat variables: coastal plain plants on Nova Scotian lakeshores. Ecology. 73: 1852-1859.

Keddy, P.A.; Wisheu, I.C. 1989. Ecology, biogeography, and conservation of coastal plain plants: some general principles from the study of Nova Scotian wetlands. Rhodora. 91: 72-94.

Malecki, R.A.; Blossey, B.; Hight, S.D.; Schroeder, D.; Kok, L.T.; Coulson, J.R. 1993. Biological control of purple loosestrife. BioScience. 43: 680-686.

Schuyler, A.E. 1963. A biosystematic study of the Scirpus cyperinus complex. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 115: 283-311.

Schuyler, A.E. 1963. Sporadic culm formation in Scirpus longii. Bartonia. 32: 1-5.

Schuyler, A.E.; Stasz, J.L. 1985. Influence of fire on reproduction of Scirpus longii. Bartonia. 51: 105-107.

Sperduto, S.; Ogilvie, R. 1993. The conservation of coastal plain flora in Nova Scotia. Maine Naturalist. 1: 131-144.

USFWS. 1985. Proposal to list Scirpus longii (Long's Bulrush) as a candidate for Federal listing. Federal Register. 50: 39526.

Wisheu, I.C.; Keddy, C.J.; Keddy, P.A. 1994. Disjunct Atlantic Coastal Plain species in Nova Scotia - distribution, habitat and conservation priorities. Biological Conservation. 68: 217-224.

Reports

1993. Monitoring of Long's Bulrush (Scirpus longii) in Rochester, New Hampshire: 1992 Status Report. Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Natural Heritage Program.

1999. Rare Plant Fact Sheets. Augusta, Maine, USA: Maine Department of Conservation, Natural Areas Division.

Hill, N.M. 1994. Status report on the Long's bulrush Scirpus longii in Canada. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Mount Saint Vincent University. Unpublished report.

LeBlond, R. 1990. 1989 status survey for Scirpus longii in Massachusetts. Provincetown, Massachusetts: Center for Coastal Studies. Unpublished report.

Lortie, J.P. 1996. A range-wide assessment of Scirpus longii, Long's bulrush. Topsham, Maine: Woodlot Alternatives, Inc. Unpublished report.

Rawinski, T.J. 1990. Final status survey report: the distribution and abundance of Long's bulrush (Scirpus longii). Boston, Massachusetts: Eastern Heritage Task Force, The Nature Conservancy. Unpublished report.

Rawinski, T.J. 2001. Conservation and Research Plan for Scirpus longii (Long's bulrush). Framingham, Massachusetts: New England Wild Flower Society.

Sperduto, D.D.; McCarthy, P. 1993. Monitoring of Long's bulrush (Scirpus longii) in Rochester, New Hampshire: 1992 status report. Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory and New Hampshire Field Office of The Nature Conservancy. Unpublished report.

Stone, W. 1911. The Plants of Southern New Jersey with special reference to the flora of the pine barrens. Trenton, New Jersey: New Jersey State Museum. annual report 1910, Part II, 21-828.

Thompson, D.Q.; Stuckey, R.L.; Thompson, E.B. 1987. Spread, impacts, and control of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in North American wetlands. Washington, DC, USA: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. United States Department of the Interior. Research Report 2.

TNC. 1996. Element stewardship abstract of Scirpus longii (Long's bulrush). Arlington, Virginia: The Nature Conservancy.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010