Juncus capillaris

Hairstemmed rush, Hairstemmed Rush

Family: Juncaceae · Type: annual · Native

Hairstemmed rush is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist meadows, streambanks, and granitic seeps at elevations of 1,200 to 3,200 meters. Despite its small stature of 0.7 to 5.7 centimeters, this delicate rush produces tiny flowers with 1 to 3 blooms per stem. Growing with extremely slender stems less than 0.3 millimeters wide, it forms dense tufted clusters that turn reddish-brown when fruiting. Its basal leaves are short, typically less than 2.2 centimeters long, with no sheath appendages. The fruit is less than the perianth length and lighter in color, containing fewer than 10 small seeds that are less than 0.8 millimeters long.

Habitat: Moist, bare to grassy places, meadows, streambanks, granitic seeps

Elevation: 1200-3200 m

Bioregions: SNH

California counties: Tulare, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Butte, Lassen, Mono, Inyo, El Dorado, Fresno, Madera

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