Juncus ensifolius

Dagger rush, swordleaved rush, Swordleaved Rush

Family: Juncaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Dagger rush is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, central coast, Transverse Ranges, and Great Basin in wet places at elevations below 2,800 meters. Flowering during the summer months, this plant produces dark brown to black flowers in dense, hemispheric clusters. Growing 20 to 60 centimeters tall with a slender, creeping rhizome, it develops flat, curved leaves 2 to 5 millimeters wide that arch toward the stem. Its leaves emerge primarily from the base, with overlapping leaf bases and long, distinctive tips. The plant produces oblong fruits with short beaks that typically exceed the length of its perianth parts.

Habitat: Common. Wet places

Elevation: < 2800 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, SN, CCo, TR, GB

California counties: Humboldt, Los Angeles, Napa, Plumas, San Benito, San Bernardino, Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tulare, Inyo, Sierra, Alpine, Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Mariposa, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Nevada, Tehama, Tuolumne, Kern, Placer, Yuba, Amador, Sonoma, Lassen, Lake, Mendocino, Ventura, Calaveras, Santa Barbara, San Mateo

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