seeds, and muskrats eat from the entire plant. Morphology Sparganium americanum is a monocot plant. Individuals of this species may look like grass, but they aren’t. Individual American bur-reeds can grow to be between two and four feet. American bur-reed plants flower during the summer. The leaves are green and are triangular in cross section; the leaves of individuals living in deeper water can produce floating leaves. Flowers and fruit Sparganium americanum spread rapidly through their underground root systems of rhizomes. American bur-reed does flower in the summer time. The inflorescence of S. americanum can be branched or simple. The fruits of this plant species have a dull surface with beaks that are between 2 and 5 millimeters long. These beaks may be straight, but some of them may be curved. The flower tepals could have a dark spot on them. References americanum