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.