Sphenoclea zeylanica
chickenspike, chicken spike
Family
Sphenocleaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
elliptic
Growth Form
forb, emergent aquatic
Flower Color
yellow
Flower Month
August - October
Height (meters)
0.8 - 1.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
introduced
Lifespan
annual
Growing Season
Warm season
Wetland Class
OBL
Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism
0
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
-1
Field Characters
A coarse, annual forb with hairless, round, hollow stems and branches.
Cultural Information
Seeds average approximately 18,000,000/lb.
Natural History
Found in wet places, especially in rice fields, of Louisiana and east Texas. A European species that has naturalized in warm regions of the western Hemisphere.
Habitat
Wet places of lowlands and flats, especially rice fields.