Sparganium erectum
Branched Bur-reed
Common names: Upright Bur-reed, Simple Bur-reed
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Flowering
- Jun–Aug
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −30 °C
- Water need
- High
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Hugo.arg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Branched bur-reed, botanically Sparganium erectum, is a native emergent plant of marshes, pond margins, ditches, and calm stream banks. Its stiff, sword-shaped leaves, triangular in cross-section at the base, form dense stands 60 to 120 cm tall over time. The branched inflorescence bears spherical heads, with the female heads below and the smaller male heads above, flowering from June to August. In late summer the female heads develop into spiny, hedgehog-like fruit heads that give the plant its name and remain conspicuous into autumn. In a garden pond, it provides structure and screening in the shallow zone at about 10 to 40 cm water depth, and dragonflies climb its stems to emerge. It spreads by vigorous rhizomes and quickly becomes too large for small ponds.
Care instructions
Plant branched bur-reed in the shallow zone of a garden pond at about 10 to 40 cm water depth, or at a moist pond edge, in full sun or partial shade. Use a large planting basket with loamy pond substrate, because the rhizomes spread vigorously and otherwise grow through liner or across the whole pond. The soil must never dry out. No fertilizer is needed. Divide or thin the stand every two to three years in spring and remove surplus rhizomes. Cut dead stems in late winter just above the waterline. It is too large for small basins and containers; choose a smaller species there. Typical mistake: a pond that is too small, where it crowds out everything else.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringJun–Aug
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, loamy, nutrient-rich
Branched bur-reed grows in the nutrient-rich, muddy or loamy soil of banks and shallow-water zones. In a garden pond, use pond substrate with a loamy share, or a mix of loam and sand. It is happy with chalky to neutral water, and a pH between 6 and 8 suits it. You do not need to improve the soil, as it takes its nutrients from the mud.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Branched bur-reed is never fed. It grows vigorously by itself in nutrient-rich mud, and extra nutrients end up in the pond water and promote algae. Plant it in loamy pond substrate and leave it alone; it needs nothing more.
Overwintering
Branched bur-reed is fully hardy and stays in the pond. In autumn the leaves turn yellow and die back; the rhizomes overwinter in the mud and sprout again in spring. Leave the stalks standing over winter, as they offer insects shelter. In late winter, before new growth starts, cut them off just above the waterline.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
Propagate branched bur-reed by dividing the strong rhizomes. In spring, when growth begins, take the plant out of its planting basket or cut off a piece at the edge of the stand. Use a sharp spade or knife to divide the rhizome into pieces with several shoots and roots and replant them straight away, in a planting basket with loamy pond substrate, at first about 10 to 20 cm below the water surface. Buy new plants from a water-garden nursery and do not dig them up from natural waters.
For your garden
Grow Branched Bur-reed yourself
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