Schoenoplectus acutus (syn. Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris subsp. acutus), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America. The common name derives from the Nāhuatl word tōllin [ˈtoːlːin], and it was first recognized by the early Spanish explorers and missionaries in New Spain who saw the marsh plants in the Central Valley of California as similar to those in the marshes around Mexico City being used to construct shelters by the indigenous inhabitants.