Butomus umbellatus

Flowering rush
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Butomaceae
Genus: Butomus
Species:
B. umbellatus
Binomial name
Butomus umbellatus
L.
Synonyms[1]
  • Butomus caesalpini Neck.
  • Butomus floridus Gaertn.
  • Butomus scutariensis Rohlena
  • Butomus vulgaris Gueldenst.

Butomus umbellatus is a Eurasian plant species in the family Butomaceae. It is the only species in the family. Common names include flowering rush[2] or grass rush. Introduced into North America as an ornamental plant it has now become a serious invasive weed[3] in the Great Lakes area and in parts of the Pacific Northwest.[4] In Israel, one of its native countries, it is an endangered species due to the habitat loss. It can also be found in Great Britain locally, for example at the Caldicot and Wentloog Levels.[5][6] The plant is a rhizomatous, hairless, perennial aquatic plant. Its name is derived from Greek bous, meaning "cow", "ox" etc. and tome, a cut (the verb 'temnein' meaning "to cut"), which refers to the plant's swordlike leaves.[5]

  1. ^ The Plant List, Butomus umbellatus L.
  2. ^ NRCS. "Butomus umbellatus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus) Ecological Risk Screening Summary" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-07-02. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  4. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map Image
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ren was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Natural World Magazine, Spring 2009, The Wildlife Trust, published by Think publishing