About Scheuchzeria palustris L.
Scheuchzeria palustris L. is a herbaceous perennial plant native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where it grows in wet Sphagnum peat bogs. It reaches a height of 10–40 cm, with narrow linear leaves arranged alternately along the stem, each with a basal sheath. Leaves can grow up to 20 cm long, with blunt tips that bear a conspicuous pore. It has a creeping rhizome covered in papery, straw-colored remains of old leaf bases. Its flowers are greenish-yellow, 4–6 mm in diameter, with six tepals. Flowers have an inflated sheathing base, six stamens and three carpels, and flowering occurs from June to August. Two subspecies are recognized, though not all botanical authorities treat them as distinct: Scheuchzeria palustris subsp. palustris, found in northern and eastern Europe and northern Asia, and Scheuchzeria palustris subsp. americana (Fernald) Hultén, found in northern North America.
