Eleocharis quinqueflora(Hartmann) O.Schwarz

Few-flowered Spike-rushfewflower spikerush

WFO wfo-0000405846 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 7 observations

This species has been photographed under an open licence only 7 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 quinqueflora, photographed by pete_gateley
fig. a pete_gateley, CC0 1.0 / 2021-07-11 / obs. 142656211
Eleocharis quinqueflora, photographed by Sigitas Juzėnas
fig. b Sigitas Juzėnas, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 88708077
Eleocharis quinqueflora, photographed by Sigitas Juzėnas
fig. c Sigitas Juzėnas, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 88708023
Eleocharis quinqueflora, photographed by Sigitas Juzėnas
fig. d Sigitas Juzėnas, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 83245292
Eleocharis quinqueflora, photographed by Sigitas Juzėnas
fig. e Sigitas Juzėnas, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 46345294
Eleocharis quinqueflora, photographed by Sigitas Juzėnas
fig. f Sigitas Juzėnas, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 148577673
Eleocharis quinqueflora, photographed by Sigitas Juzėnas
fig. g Sigitas Juzėnas, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 148828084
Eleocharis quinqueflora, photographed by Santiago Martín-Bravo
fig. h Santiago Martín-Bravo, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 205604642

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 106 botanical countries

Regions where Eleocharis quinqueflora is native: Egypt, Morocco, Afghanistan, Altay, China North-Central, China South-Central, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Iraq, Kamchatka, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Mongolia, North Caucasus, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, West Siberia, Xinjiang, Yakutiya, Nepal, Pakistan, West Himalaya, Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Corse, Czechia-Slovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Finland, Føroyar, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Krym, Netherlands, North European Russia, Northwest European Russia, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Poland, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Greenland, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Labrador, Maine, Manitoba, Massachusetts, Mexico Northwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, North Dakota, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Prince Edward I., Québec, Saskatchewan, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yukon, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Bolivia, Chile North EgyptMoroccoAfghanistanAltayChina North-CentralChina South-CentralInner MongoliaIranIraqKamchatkaKazakhstanKirgizstanMongoliaNorth CaucasusTadzhikistanTibetTranscaucasusTürkiyeTurkmenistanUzbekistanWest SiberiaXinjiangYakutiyaNepalPakistanWest HimalayaAlbaniaAustriaBaltic StatesBelarusBelgiumBulgariaCentral European RussiaCorseCzechia-SlovakiaDenmarkEast European RussiaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyKrymNetherlandsNorth European RussiaNorthwest European RussiaNorwayNW. Balkan Pen.PolandSouth European RussiaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineAlaskaAlbertaArizonaBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoGreenlandIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaLabradorMaineManitobaMassachusettsMexico NorthwestMichiganMinnesotaMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNewfoundlandNorth DakotaNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaOhioOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward I.QuébecSaskatchewanUtahVermontWashingtonWisconsinWyomingYukonArgentina NorthwestArgentina SouthBoliviaChile North Føroyar
Native distribution of Eleocharis quinqueflora, 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
Alaska ASK NORTHERN AMERICA
Alberta ABT
Arizona ARI
British Columbia BRC
California CAL
Colorado COL
Greenland GNL
Idaho IDA
Illinois ILL
Indiana INI
Iowa IOW
Labrador LAB
Maine MAI
Manitoba MAN
Massachusetts MAS
Mexico Northwest MXN
Michigan MIC
Minnesota MIN
Montana MNT
Nebraska NEB
Nevada NEV
New Brunswick NBR
New Hampshire NWH
New Jersey NWJ
New Mexico NWM
New York NWY
Newfoundland NFL
North Dakota NDA
Northwest Territories NWT
Nova Scotia NSC
Ohio OHI
Ontario ONT
Oregon ORE
Pennsylvania PEN
Prince Edward I. PEI
Québec QUE
Saskatchewan SAS
Utah UTA
Vermont VER
Washington WAS
Wisconsin WIS
Wyoming WYO
Yukon YUK
Albania ALB EUROPE
Austria AUT
Baltic States BLT
Belarus BLR
Belgium BGM
Bulgaria BUL
Central European Russia RUC
Corse COR
Czechia-Slovakia CZE
Denmark DEN
East European Russia RUE
Finland FIN
Føroyar FOR
France FRA
Germany GER
Great Britain GRB
Greece GRC
Hungary HUN
Iceland ICE
Ireland IRE
Italy ITA
Krym KRY
Netherlands NET
North European Russia RUN
Northwest European Russia RUW
Norway NOR
NW. Balkan Pen. YUG
Poland POL
South European Russia RUS
Spain SPA
Sweden SWE
Switzerland SWI
Ukraine UKR
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
Altay ALT
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
Inner Mongolia CHI
Iran IRN
Iraq IRQ
Kamchatka KAM
Kazakhstan KAZ
Kirgizstan KGZ
Mongolia MON
North Caucasus NCS
Tadzhikistan TZK
Tibet CHT
Transcaucasus TCS
Türkiye TUR
Turkmenistan TKM
Uzbekistan UZB
West Siberia WSB
Xinjiang CHX
Yakutiya YAK
Argentina Northwest AGW SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina South AGS
Bolivia BOL
Chile North CLN
Nepal NEP ASIA-TROPICAL
Pakistan PAK
West Himalaya WHM
Egypt EGY AFRICA
Morocco MOR

Not drawn on the map: Great Britain. We hold no public-domain boundary for this region, so it is listed rather than guessed at.

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 39 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.

  • Baeothryon halleri (Vill.) T.Nees
  • Baeothryon pauciflorum (Lightf.) A.Dietr.
  • Clavula boeotryon (L.f.) Dumort.
  • Cyperus pauciflorus (Lightf.) Missbach & E.H.L.Krause
  • Eleocharis atacamensis Phil.
  • Eleocharis baeothryon (L.f.) Nees
  • Eleocharis baeothryon Schult.
  • Eleocharis czernjajevi Zoz
  • Eleocharis fernaldii (Svenson) Á.Löve
  • Eleocharis meridionalis Zinserl.
  • Eleocharis obscura T.Koyama
  • Eleocharis pauciflora (Lightf.) Link
  • Eleocharis pauciflora var. fernaldii Svenson
  • Eleocharis quinqueflora subsp. fernaldii (Svenson) Hultén
  • Eleocharis quinqueflora subsp. meridionalis (Zinserl.) T.V.Egorova
  • Eleocharis quinqueflora var. meridionalis Raymond
  • Eleocharis vierhapperi Bojko
  • Isolepis andina Phil.
  • Limnochloa baeothryon (L.f.) Rchb.
  • Limnochloa baeothryon var. minor Rchb.
  • Limnochloa pauciflora (Lightf.) Peterm.
  • Scirpus atacamensis (Phil.) Kuntze
  • Scirpus baeothryon L.f.
  • Scirpus baeothryon var. campestris (Rottb.) Boenn.

and 15 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.