Scheuchzeria palustris

Scheuchzeria palustris (Rannoch-rush, or pod grass), is a flowering plant, the only species in the genus Scheuchzeria, itself the only genus in the family Scheuchzeriaceae. In the APG II system this is placed in the order Alismatales of the monocots. It is a herbaceous perennial plant, native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where it grows in wet Sphagnum peat bogs. It grows to 10-40 cm tall, with narrow linear leaves 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. It has a creeping rhizome clothed in papery, straw coloured remains of old leaf bases. The flowers are greenish-yellow, 4-6 mm diameter, with six tepals. They have an inflated sheathing base, 6 stamens and 3 carpels. It flowers from June until August. There are two subspecies, not considered distinct by all authorities:Scheuchzeria palustris subsp. palustris. Northern and eastern Europe, northern Asia. Scheuchzeria palustris subsp. americana.