About Penthorum sedoides L.
Penthorum sedoides L. grows to between 10 and 80 centimeters in height. The erect lower part of its stem is smooth, while its curved, branching inflorescence is covered in glandular hairs. Its leaves are lanceolate with fine serrations, measuring 2 to 18 centimeters long and 0.5 to 5.5 centimeters wide. The flowers are roughly half a centimeter wide, with 10 stamens and no petals. The fruit is a star-shaped capsule made of 5 carpels united at the base, which turns red during autumn. Penthorum sedoides is widely distributed across the United States and Canada. In the United States, it has been recorded in most states, with the exception of western states. In Canada, it has been recorded in the eastern provinces of Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec, and also in British Columbia. The state of Rhode Island lists Penthorum sedoides as a species of special concern. This plant is only native to the eastern half of the North American continent; in the Pacific Northwest, it is an introduced species that grows in commercial cranberry bogs. In Virginia, Penthorum sedoides grows in habitats including alluvial swamps, floodplain pools, rocky or sandy shores, fens, marshes, beaver ponds, and disturbed wetlands.
