BULRUSH
by Keiko, Daniel, and Tillman
Do you know that Bulrush can stay underwater and not drown? Bulrush
is in the sedge family and looks like miniature palm trees in the lagoon. It
looks like a spear sticking out of the water. It has three triangle holes inside
the stem. It is spongy inside too. Water birds called Coots use Bulrush to make
floating nests. In shallow waters, it grows in clusters. Native Americans used
it to build mats for sleeping on, roofs, clothes, boats, chairs, and hammocks.
It looks like cattails and sometimes they grow in the same places in the lagoon.
If Bulrush gets what it needs, it can grow 3 to 9 feet. It's a native plant,
that means it belongs where it is in the lagoon. It looks dead in the winter
but it's not, it just doesn't grow then. Bulrush is an amazing plant because
it can survive in salt water and fresh water. It is leafless even though it
looks like it has leaves. When Bulrush is growing, the stem is green and the
flower clusters at the top are brown like hair growing out of the end, and when
it looks dead it is all brown. The top part blooms from May to August.
