Index / Search / Acorus calamus
§1 Plant
Acorus calamus L.
vernacular calamus — species · Acoraceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Monocot
- Family
- Acoraceae Martinov
- Genus
- Acorus
§2a
Native status, by region
- CAN Canada Introduced
- L48 Lower 48 States Introduced
§2b
County-level range
· 652 counties across 36 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- None
- Shade
- High
- Moisture use
- High
- Fire
- High
- Salinity
- Low
- Anaerobic
- High
- CaCO₃
- Medium
- Hedging
- None
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -38 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 90 min.
- Precipitation
- 32–60 in/yr
- pH range
- 5.2–7.2
- Root depth
- 12 in min.
- Fertility need
- Medium
- Soil texture
- coarse, medium
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Rhizomatous
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Moderate
- Mature height
- 5 ft
- Foliage texture
- Coarse
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Dense
- Porosity (winter)
- Porous
- Flower colour
- Yellow
- Fruit colour
- Brown
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Late Spring
- Seed abundance
- Low
- Seed begins
- Summer
- Seed ends
- Summer
- Spread rate
- None
- Stratify
- No
- Seeds / lb
- 498,454
- Propagation
- bare root, container, sprigs
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- Yes
- Browse palatability
- Low
- Graze palatability
- Low
- Palatable, human
- No
- Protein potential
- Low
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 652 counties across 36 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 3 I ▾
Arkansas view state ↗ 13 I ▾
California view state ↗ 2 I ▾
Colorado view state ↗ 2 I ▾
Delaware view state ↗ 1 I ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 I ▾
Georgia view state ↗ 1 I ▾
Illinois view state ↗ 63 I ▾
- Adams 17001
- Alexander 17003
- Boone 17007
- Brown 17009
- Calhoun 17013
- Carroll 17015
- Cass 17017
- Champaign 17019
- Christian 17021
- Coles 17029
- Cook 17031
- Crawford 17033
- Cumberland 17035
- DeKalb 17037
- Douglas 17041
- DuPage 17043
- Edgar 17045
- Effingham 17049
- Fayette 17051
- Fulton 17057
- Grundy 17063
- Hancock 17067
- Henderson 17071
- Jackson 17077
- Jasper 17079
- Jefferson 17081
- Kane 17089
- Kankakee 17091
- Kendall 17093
- Knox 17095
- Lake 17097
- LaSalle 17099
- Lawrence 17101
- Lee 17103
- Livingston 17105
- Macon 17115
- Macoupin 17117
- Marshall 17123
- Mason 17125
- McDonough 17109
- McHenry 17111
- McLean 17113
- Menard 17129
- Montgomery 17135
- Morgan 17137
- Peoria 17143
- Perry 17145
- Pope 17151
- Pulaski 17153
- Richland 17159
- Sangamon 17167
- Schuyler 17169
- Scott 17171
- St. Clair 17163
- Tazewell 17179
- Union 17181
- Vermilion 17183
- Wayne 17191
- Whiteside 17195
- Will 17197
- Williamson 17199
- Winnebago 17201
- Woodford 17203
Indiana view state ↗ 38 I ▾
- Boone 18011
- Brown 18013
- Clark 18019
- Crawford 18025
- Fountain 18045
- Grant 18053
- Hancock 18059
- Harrison 18061
- Howard 18067
- Huntington 18069
- Jasper 18073
- Jefferson 18077
- Jennings 18079
- Johnson 18081
- Knox 18083
- Kosciusko 18085
- Lagrange 18087
- Lake 18089
- LaPorte 18091
- Lawrence 18093
- Marion 18097
- Marshall 18099
- Montgomery 18107
- Morgan 18109
- Noble 18113
- Owen 18119
- Parke 18121
- Porter 18127
- Putnam 18133
- Shelby 18145
- St. Joseph 18141
- Steuben 18151
- Sullivan 18153
- Tippecanoe 18157
- Vigo 18167
- Wayne 18177
- Wells 18179
- Whitley 18183
Iowa view state ↗ 9 I ▾
Kansas view state ↗ 19 I ▾
Kentucky view state ↗ 48 I ▾
- Adair 21001
- Ballard 21007
- Barren 21009
- Bath 21011
- Bell 21013
- Boone 21015
- Boyd 21019
- Calloway 21035
- Campbell 21037
- Casey 21045
- Clark 21049
- Clay 21051
- Edmonson 21061
- Estill 21065
- Fleming 21069
- Floyd 21071
- Greenup 21089
- Hancock 21091
- Hardin 21093
- Harlan 21095
- Harrison 21097
- Henry 21103
- Hickman 21105
- Jefferson 21111
- Johnson 21115
- Kenton 21117
- Laurel 21125
- Lee 21129
- Letcher 21133
- Lewis 21135
- Madison 21151
- Magoffin 21153
- Marion 21155
- Marshall 21157
- McCracken 21145
- McLean 21149
- Montgomery 21173
- Muhlenberg 21177
- Nelson 21179
- Oldham 21185
- Pendleton 21191
- Perry 21193
- Powell 21197
- Rockcastle 21203
- Rowan 21205
- Todd 21219
- Trigg 21221
- Whitley 21235
Louisiana view state ↗ 8 I ▾
Maine view state ↗ 16 I ▾
Massachusetts view state ↗ 14 I ▾
Michigan view state ↗ 1 I ▾
Minnesota view state ↗ 30 I ▾
- Aitkin 27001
- Anoka 27003
- Becker 27005
- Brown 27015
- Cass 27021
- Chippewa 27023
- Clay 27027
- Clearwater 27029
- Cook 27031
- Crow Wing 27035
- Douglas 27041
- Isanti 27059
- Itasca 27061
- Jackson 27063
- Kittson 27069
- Lake 27075
- Mahnomen 27087
- Marshall 27089
- Martin 27091
- Meeker 27093
- Morrison 27097
- Norman 27107
- Pennington 27113
- Pine 27115
- Polk 27119
- Steele 27147
- Swift 27151
- Wabasha 27157
- Washington 27163
- Winona 27169
Mississippi view state ↗ 3 I ▾
Missouri view state ↗ 37 I ▾
- Adair 29001
- Andrew 29003
- Barton 29011
- Bollinger 29017
- Boone 29019
- Butler 29023
- Cape Girardeau 29031
- Carroll 29033
- Franklin 29071
- Harrison 29081
- Howell 29091
- Iron 29093
- Jackson 29095
- Jasper 29097
- Johnson 29101
- Laclede 29105
- Lawrence 29109
- Lewis 29111
- Lincoln 29113
- McDonald 29119
- Mississippi 29133
- Osage 29151
- Perry 29157
- Platte 29165
- Polk 29167
- Pulaski 29169
- Randolph 29175
- Reynolds 29179
- Saline 29195
- St. Charles 29183
- St. Clair 29185
- St. Louis 29189
- Ste. Genevieve 29186
- Stoddard 29207
- Texas 29215
- Washington 29221
- Webster 29225
Nebraska view state ↗ 5 I ▾
New Jersey view state ↗ 21 I ▾
New York view state ↗ 15 I ▾
North Carolina view state ↗ 28 I ▾
- Alleghany 37005
- Ashe 37009
- Beaufort 37013
- Camden 37029
- Cherokee 37039
- Chowan 37041
- Craven 37049
- Currituck 37053
- Gaston 37071
- Gates 37073
- Guilford 37081
- Harnett 37085
- Hertford 37091
- Lee 37105
- Mitchell 37121
- New Hanover 37129
- Northampton 37131
- Orange 37135
- Pamlico 37137
- Pasquotank 37139
- Perquimans 37143
- Robeson 37155
- Scotland 37165
- Stokes 37169
- Tyrrell 37177
- Wake 37183
- Watauga 37189
- Yancey 37199
Ohio view state ↗ 34 I ▾
- Adams 39001
- Ashtabula 39007
- Butler 39017
- Carroll 39019
- Champaign 39021
- Columbiana 39029
- Coshocton 39031
- Crawford 39033
- Cuyahoga 39035
- Fairfield 39045
- Franklin 39049
- Gallia 39053
- Geauga 39055
- Greene 39057
- Guernsey 39059
- Hamilton 39061
- Holmes 39075
- Jackson 39079
- Jefferson 39081
- Licking 39089
- Lorain 39093
- Mahoning 39099
- Medina 39103
- Morgan 39115
- Noble 39121
- Perry 39127
- Portage 39133
- Preble 39135
- Stark 39151
- Summit 39153
- Trumbull 39155
- Tuscarawas 39157
- Vinton 39163
- Wayne 39169
Oklahoma view state ↗ 3 I ▾
Oregon view state ↗ 3 I ▾
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 51 I ▾
- Adams 42001
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Berks 42011
- Blair 42013
- Bradford 42015
- Bucks 42017
- Butler 42019
- Cambria 42021
- Carbon 42025
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Crawford 42039
- Dauphin 42043
- Delaware 42045
- Erie 42049
- Fayette 42051
- Franklin 42055
- Fulton 42057
- Greene 42059
- Huntingdon 42061
- Indiana 42063
- Jefferson 42065
- Juniata 42067
- Lackawanna 42069
- Lancaster 42071
- Lawrence 42073
- Lebanon 42075
- Lehigh 42077
- Luzerne 42079
- McKean 42083
- Mercer 42085
- Mifflin 42087
- Monroe 42089
- Montgomery 42091
- Northampton 42095
- Northumberland 42097
- Philadelphia 42101
- Schuylkill 42107
- Snyder 42109
- Somerset 42111
- Susquehanna 42115
- Tioga 42117
- Warren 42123
- Washington 42125
- Wayne 42127
- Westmoreland 42129
- Wyoming 42131
- York 42133
Rhode Island view state ↗ 4 I ▾
South Carolina view state ↗ 1 I ▾
South Dakota view state ↗ 3 I ▾
Tennessee view state ↗ 20 I ▾
Texas view state ↗ 2 I ▾
Vermont view state ↗ 10 I ▾
Virginia view state ↗ 66 I ▾
- Accomack 51001
- Albemarle 51003
- Alleghany 51005
- Amherst 51009
- Arlington 51013
- Augusta 51015
- Bath 51017
- Bedford 51019
- Buckingham 51029
- Campbell 51031
- Caroline 51033
- Carroll 51035
- Charlotte 51037
- Chesapeake (city) 51550
- Chesterfield 51041
- Clarke 51043
- Craig 51045
- Dickenson 51051
- Dinwiddie 51053
- Essex 51057
- Fairfax 51059
- Fauquier 51061
- Floyd 51063
- Fluvanna 51065
- Franklin 51067
- Frederick 51069
- Giles 51071
- Gloucester 51073
- Goochland 51075
- Grayson 51077
- Greene 51079
- Hampton (city) 51650
- Highland 51091
- King and Queen 51097
- King George 51099
- King William 51101
- Lee 51105
- Loudoun 51107
- Mathews 51115
- Montgomery 51121
- Nelson 51125
- New Kent 51127
- Northampton 51131
- Orange 51137
- Page 51139
- Prince Edward 51147
- Prince George 51149
- Prince William 51153
- Pulaski 51155
- Rappahannock 51157
- Richmond 51159
- Roanoke 51161
- Rockbridge 51163
- Rockingham 51165
- Russell 51167
- Scott 51169
- Shenandoah 51171
- Smyth 51173
- Stafford 51179
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Tazewell 51185
- Virginia Beach (city) 51810
- Warren 51187
- Washington 51191
- Westmoreland 51193
- Wythe 51197
West Virginia view state ↗ 23 I ▾
- Braxton 54007
- Brooke 54009
- Cabell 54011
- Calhoun 54013
- Doddridge 54017
- Fayette 54019
- Hampshire 54027
- Hardy 54031
- Harrison 54033
- Jackson 54035
- Jefferson 54037
- McDowell 54047
- Mineral 54057
- Monongalia 54061
- Ohio 54069
- Pocahontas 54075
- Preston 54077
- Raleigh 54081
- Randolph 54083
- Summers 54089
- Taylor 54091
- Upshur 54097
- Wirt 54105
Wisconsin view state ↗ 54 I ▾
- Adams 55001
- Ashland 55003
- Bayfield 55007
- Brown 55009
- Buffalo 55011
- Burnett 55013
- Chippewa 55017
- Columbia 55021
- Crawford 55023
- Dane 55025
- Dodge 55027
- Door 55029
- Douglas 55031
- Dunn 55033
- Forest 55041
- Grant 55043
- Green 55045
- Green Lake 55047
- Iowa 55049
- Iron 55051
- Jackson 55053
- Jefferson 55055
- Kenosha 55059
- La Crosse 55063
- Langlade 55067
- Lincoln 55069
- Manitowoc 55071
- Marinette 55075
- Marquette 55077
- Menominee 55078
- Milwaukee 55079
- Oconto 55083
- Oneida 55085
- Outagamie 55087
- Pepin 55091
- Polk 55095
- Portage 55097
- Racine 55101
- Richland 55103
- Rock 55105
- Rusk 55107
- Sauk 55111
- Sawyer 55113
- Shawano 55115
- Sheboygan 55117
- St. Croix 55109
- Taylor 55119
- Trempealeau 55121
- Vilas 55125
- Walworth 55127
- Washington 55131
- Waukesha 55133
- Winnebago 55139
- Wood 55141
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/ACCA4 ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/2873769 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T20:46:58Z