| Scheuchzeria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scheuchzeria palustris - flowering | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Scheuchzeriaceae F.Rudolphi[1] |
| Genus: | Scheuchzeria L. |
| Species: | S. palustris |
| Binomial name | |
| Scheuchzeria palustris | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
| |
Scheuchzeria palustris (Rannoch-rush,[4] orpod grass), is aflowering plant in thefamilyScheuchzeriaceae, in which there is only one species andScheuchzeria is the only genus. In theAPG II system it is placed in the orderAlismatales of themonocots.[5]
It is aherbaceousperennial plant, native to cool temperate regions of theNorthern Hemisphere, where it grows in wetSphagnumpeat bogs. It grows to 10–40 cm tall, with narrow linearleaves alternating up the stem, with a basal sheath. The leaves can be up to 20 cm. The leaf tips are blunt with a conspicuous pore.[6]
It has a creepingrhizome clothed in papery, straw coloured remains of old leaf bases.
Theflowers are greenish-yellow, 4–6 mm diameter, with sixtepals. They have an inflated sheathing base, 6stamens and 3 carpels. It flowers from June until August[7][8][9]
There are twosubspecies, not considered distinct by all authorities:[8][9][10]
The genus is named afterJohann Jakob Scheuchzer, aSwiss naturalist, and his brother,Johann Gaspar Scheuchzer.[11] The species name is from the Latin for aswamp.
The English name refers to its occurrence onRannoch Moor in centralScotland, the first site inGreat Britain the species was known from, and only one where it currently occurs; it isextinct at a few other wetland sites further south in Britain, being found in pools and wet hollows of ancient undisturbedSphagnum bogs.[12][13]
