Slender Spike Rush
Eleocharis tenuisSlender Spike-rush (Eleocharis tenuis), is very common in open marshes from Canada to the Gulf, and even before the plant blooms the soft, dark green, hair-like stems may be recognized as they glisten in the sunlight and sway with the slightest breeze.
With the Slender Spike-rush, which is usually about a foot in height, the smaller species are often seen forming loose mats above the mud, and in shallow water or in the edges of ponds the round, erect stems, two to four feet high, of the Large Spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris) are common.