Juncus bufonius var. occidentalis

Western toad rush, Western Toad Rush

Family: Juncaceae · Type: annual · Native

Western toad rush is a California native annual found in drying pools and creek banks throughout California at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering in the warmer months, this plant produces tiny pale green to white flowers with sharp-pointed petals less than 4 millimeters long. Growing in small, delicate clusters with slender stems, it forms low-spreading patches rarely exceeding a few centimeters in height. Its narrow leaves are thin and grass-like, emerging directly from the plant's nodes. The plant's diminutive size allows it to thrive in ephemeral water environments, quickly completing its life cycle in seasonal moisture.

Habitat: Drying pools, creek banks

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: CA

California counties: Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Plumas, Tehama, Tulare, Kern, Ventura, Mono, Modoc, Butte, Yuba, Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Mariposa, Siskiyou, Santa Clara, Tuolumne, Contra Costa, Marin, Shasta, Del Norte, Alpine, Humboldt, Trinity, Colusa, Amador, San Mateo, Monterey, Merced, San Benito

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