Juncus repens
Lesser Creeping Rush
NATIVE
Click image to enlarge
Leaves are flattened like grass but flowering stalks are cylindrical and smooth
Credit: Kristie Gianopulos. Used with permission.
FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Identification of Juncus to species requires examination of mature seeds and fruits. All Juncus have 6 sepal-like structures surrounding each fruit.
Description: Short plant, with simple, spiky flowers, slender narrow stems and flat leaves, creating mats. Roots at nodes in shallow water and flowers only when water recedes.
Leaves: Non-septate leaves (no internal divisions) are flattened but short flowering stalks are cylindrical and smooth.
Flowers/Fruit: Terminal inflorescence is small cluster of a small number of spiky flowers/seeds. Flowers and fruits June to October if water level low.
Habit and Range: Blackwater impoundments, ditches, ponds, Carolina bays, mainly in the Coastal Plain. Rare in the Piedmont.
Typical Max Plant Height (m):
0.1
Leaf Arrangement:
Basal
Leaf Division:
Simple
Leaf Margin:
Entire
Leaf Shape:
Linear
Inflorescence Color:
Green,
Brown,
Yellow
Fruit Color:
Brown
Lifespan:
Perennial
Group:
Monocot
Family:
Juncaceae / Rush
Ecoregions Found In:
Piedmont,
Coastal Plain
