marsh arrowgrass
Triglochin palustris
When crushed, the leaves of this plant emit a pleasant aroma resembling coriander, despite containing compounds that can convert into toxic hydrogen cyanide.
- Scientific name
- Triglochin palustris
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Alismatales › Juncaginaceae › Triglochin
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Fens, marshes, bogs, wet meadows, and brackish coastal shores.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, absorbing water and minerals from saturated soils)
- Range
- North America, Europe, Asia, Southern South America
- Size
- 10 to 40 cm in height, with extremely narrow, thread-like leaves
- Lifespan
- Perennial (individual plants can live for several years, propagating via stolons)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland drainage, habitat destruction, agricultural runoff, and invasive species competition.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch and safe to observe up close, but highly toxic if ingested due to cyanogenic glycosides. Do not consume any part of the plant, and keep pets and livestock away. If ingested, seek medical or veterinary attention immediately.
Triglochin palustris or marsh arrowgrass is a species of flowering plant in the arrowgrass family Juncaginaceae. It is found in damp grassland usually on calcareous soils, fens and meadows. The species epithet palustris is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It can be found locally in the British Isles especially the north.
Photo: Jason Hollinger, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/d573bfd5-4849-435d-beb7-a1e39e6ae870.md