Trichophorum pumilum(Vahl) Schinz & Thell.

Rolland's bulrush

WFO wfo-0000591999 Accepted WFO 2026-06 6 photographs CC BY

Plate 1 figs. a–f · 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.

Trichophorum pumilum, photographed by Jim Morefield
fig. a Jim Morefield, CC BY 4.0 / 2016-07-28 / obs. 13484037
Trichophorum pumilum, photographed by Steve Matson
fig. b Steve Matson, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 88449060
Trichophorum pumilum, photographed by Steve Matson
fig. c Steve Matson, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 88449078
Trichophorum pumilum, photographed by Steve Matson
fig. d Steve Matson, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 88449040
Trichophorum pumilum, photographed by Jim Morefield
fig. e Jim Morefield, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 13484036
Trichophorum pumilum, photographed by Jim Morefield
fig. f Jim Morefield, CC BY 4.0 / obs. 13484039

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 39 botanical countries

Regions where Trichophorum pumilum is native: Afghanistan, Altay, Buryatiya, China North-Central, China South-Central, Chita, Inner Mongolia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Krasnoyarsk, Mongolia, North Caucasus, Tadzhikistan, Tibet, Transcaucasus, Tuva, Uzbekistan, West Siberia, Xinjiang, Nepal, Pakistan, West Himalaya, Czechia-Slovakia, East European Russia, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Montana, Northwest Territories, Québec, Saskatchewan, Yukon AfghanistanAltayBuryatiyaChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChitaInner MongoliaIranKazakhstanKirgizstanKrasnoyarskMongoliaNorth CaucasusTadzhikistanTibetTranscaucasusTuvaUzbekistanWest SiberiaXinjiangNepalPakistanWest HimalayaCzechia-SlovakiaEast European RussiaFranceItalyNorwaySwitzerlandAlaskaAlbertaBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoMontanaNorthwest TerritoriesQuébecSaskatchewanYukon
Native distribution of Trichophorum pumilum, 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.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Afghanistan AFG ASIA-TEMPERATE
Altay ALT
Buryatiya BRY
China North-Central CHN
China South-Central CHC
Chita CTA
Inner Mongolia CHI
Iran IRN
Kazakhstan KAZ
Kirgizstan KGZ
Krasnoyarsk KRA
Mongolia MON
North Caucasus NCS
Tadzhikistan TZK
Tibet CHT
Transcaucasus TCS
Tuva TVA
Uzbekistan UZB
West Siberia WSB
Xinjiang CHX
Alaska ASK NORTHERN AMERICA
Alberta ABT
British Columbia BRC
California CAL
Colorado COL
Montana MNT
Northwest Territories NWT
Québec QUE
Saskatchewan SAS
Yukon YUK
Czechia-Slovakia CZE EUROPE
East European Russia RUE
France FRA
Italy ITA
Norway NOR
Switzerland SWI
Nepal NEP ASIA-TROPICAL
Pakistan PAK
West Himalaya WHM

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 26 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 pumilum (Vahl) T.Koyama
  • Baeothryon pumilum (Vahl) Á.Löve & D.Löve
  • Eleogiton elongantha A.Dietr.
  • Eriophorella pumila (Vahl) Kit Tan
  • Isolepis elongantha C.A.Mey.
  • Isolepis elongata C.A.Mey.
  • Isolepis oligantha C.A.Mey.
  • Isolepis pumila (Vahl) Roem. & Schult.
  • Kreczetoviczia pumila (Vahl) Tzvelev
  • Limnochloa alpina (Schleich.) Rchb.
  • Scirpus alpinus Schleich. ex Gaudin
  • Scirpus alpinus Schleich.
  • Scirpus alpinus subsp. oliganthus (C.A.Mey.) Printz
  • Scirpus atrichus (Palla) Dalla Torre & Sarnth.
  • Scirpus emergens (Norman) Fernald
  • Scirpus meyeri Trautv.
  • Scirpus pumilus Vahl
  • Scirpus pumilus subsp. rollandii (Fernald) Raymond
  • Scirpus pumilus var. rollandii (Fernald) Beetle
  • Scirpus rollandii Fernald
  • Trichophorum atrichum Palla
  • Trichophorum emergens Norman
  • Trichophorum oliganthum (C.A.Mey.) Fritsch
  • Trichophorum pumilum var. rollandii (Fernald) Hultén

and 2 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.