Eleocharis elegans

Native to tropical and subtropical America, it is a perennial aquatic sedge that grows rooted in marshes and other seasonally flooded ground. Its upright, cylindrical stems are hollow and divided internally by thin partitions. The leaves are reduced to sheaths around the stem bases, leaving the green stems to dominate the plant. Each stem ends in a single, dense brown spikelet containing small flowers. The dry fruits are small, yellowish-brown achenes accompanied by fine bristles. In Colombia, the species occurs in wetlands across several regions, including the Caribbean plain. Photographed in the department of La Guajira, Colombia.