Juncus acutus subsp. leopoldii

Southwestern spiny rush, Southwestern Spiny Rush

Family: Juncaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Southwestern spiny rush is a California native perennial found in coastal central California, southern California, southern Channel Islands, western Transverse Ranges, and desert southern regions in moist saline places and salt marshes at elevations generally below 300 meters. Flowering with small flowers in dense clusters, this plant produces reddish-brown flowers in tightly grouped inflorescences. Growing as a robust, cespitose rush with rigid stems 50 to 140 centimeters tall, it develops a many-branched rhizome and forms dense clumps. Its basal leaves are extremely rigid, reaching 40 to 120 centimeters long, with stiff, sharp tips and firm leaf sheaths. The fruit is notably larger than the perianth, appearing shiny brown and nearly spherical to elliptical.

Habitat: Moist saline places, salt marshes, alkaline seeps

Elevation: generally < 300 m

Bioregions: CCo, SCo, s ChI, WTR, DSon

California counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Imperial, Ventura, Marin

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.