Eleocharis atropurpurea(Retz.) J.Presl & C.Presl

purple spikerush

WFO wfo-0000402956 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 2 observations

This species has been photographed under an open licence only 2 times, so some figures below are different views of the same plant, taken on the same day, rather than different individuals. They are usually different parts of it: the leaf, the flower, the bark.

Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. a Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-01-15 / obs. 176080686
Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. b Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 176080692
Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. c Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 168895362
Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. d Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 168895379
Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. e Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 176080699
Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. f Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 168895389
Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. g Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 176080707
Eleocharis atropurpurea, photographed by Jay Horn
fig. h Jay Horn, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 176080714

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 104 botanical countries

Regions where Eleocharis atropurpurea is native: Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan, Taiwan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Pakistan, Philippines, Sumatera, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, Alabama, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Aruba, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil North, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Galápagos, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela BeninBotswanaBurkinaBurundiCentral African RepublicChadCongoDR CongoEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGhanaGuineaIvory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaNamibiaNigerNigeriaNorthern ProvincesRwandaSenegalSomaliaSudan-South SudanTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabweAfghanistanChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastHainanIranJapanKazakhstanTadzhikistanTaiwanTürkiyeUzbekistanBangladeshEast HimalayaIndiaJawaMyanmarNepalNew GuineaPakistanPhilippinesSumateraVietnamWest HimalayaNorthern TerritoryQueenslandWestern AustraliaAlabamaArizonaBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIndianaIowaKansasLouisianaMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMichiganMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew MexicoNorth CarolinaOklahomaSouth CarolinaTexasVirginiaWashingtonArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBoliviaBrazil NorthColombiaCosta RicaCubaEcuadorJamaicaNicaraguaPeruVenezuela MauritiusArubaBahamasCayman Is.GalápagosNetherlands Antilles
Native distribution of Eleocharis atropurpurea, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Benin BEN AFRICA
Botswana BOT
Burkina BKN
Burundi BUR
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Congo CON
DR Congo ZAI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Gabon GAB
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mali MLI
Mauritania MTN
Mauritius MAU
Namibia NAM
Niger NGR
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Rwanda RWA
Senegal SEN
Somalia SOM
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Togo TOG
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Alabama ALA NORTHERN AMERICA
Arizona ARI
British Columbia BRC
California CAL
Colorado COL
Florida FLA
Georgia GEO
Indiana INI
Iowa IOW
Kansas KAN
Louisiana LOU
Mexico Northwest MXN
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
Michigan MIC
Missouri MSO
Montana MNT
Nebraska NEB
Nevada NEV
New Mexico NWM
North Carolina NCA
Oklahoma OKL
South Carolina SCA
Texas TEX
Virginia VRG
Washington WAS
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Aruba ARU
Bahamas BAH
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Cayman Is. CAY
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Ecuador ECU
Galápagos GAL
Jamaica JAM
Netherlands Antilles NLA
Nicaragua NIC
Peru PER
Venezuela VEN
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
China Southeast CHS
Hainan CHH
Iran IRN
Japan JAP
Kazakhstan KAZ
Tadzhikistan TZK
Taiwan TAI
Türkiye TUR
Uzbekistan UZB
Bangladesh BAN ASIA-TROPICAL
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Jawa JAW
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
New Guinea NWG
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Sumatera SUM
Vietnam VIE
West Himalaya WHM
Northern Territory NTA AUSTRALASIA
Queensland QLD
Western Australia WAU

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Also published as 31 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Aplostemon atropurpureus (Retz.) Raf.
  • Eleocharis atropurpurea var. albivaginata Boeckeler
  • Eleocharis atropurpurea var. setiformis Benth.
  • Eleocharis atropurpurea var. trigyna Boeckeler
  • Eleocharis atropurpurea var. zanardinii (Parl.) A.Terracc.
  • Eleocharis erratica (Rota ex De Not.) Steud.
  • Eleocharis laetevirens (Schrad. ex Nees) Steud.
  • Eleocharis lereschii Shuttlew.
  • Eleocharis monandra Hochst.
  • Eleocharis monandra Hochst. ex Steud.
  • Eleocharis multiflora Chapm.
  • Eleocharis zanardinii Parl.
  • Eleogenus atropurpureus (Retz.) Nees
  • Eleogenus laetevirens Nees
  • Eleogenus laetevirens var. tenuis Nees
  • Eleogenus laetovirens var. umbonatus Nees
  • Eleogenus lereschii (Shuttlew.) Bluff, Nees & Schauer
  • Eleogiton atropurpurea (Retz.) A.Dietr.
  • Isolepis allochroa Steud.
  • Isolepis atropurpurea (Retz.) Roem. & Schult.
  • Isolepis dichroa Steud.
  • Isolepis lereschii Shuttlew. ex Parl.
  • Scirpus acicularis Zanardini ex Parl.
  • Scirpus atropurpureus Retz.

and 7 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.