Juncus kelloggii
Kellogg's dwarf rush
(c) Noah How, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Juncaceae · Type: Grass · Native
Juncus kelloggii (Kellogg's dwarf rush) is a native California grass in the Juncaceae family, recognized by key diagnostic features are tiny size, reddish color in fruit, and obviously striate seeds.
Kellogg's dwarf rush is a California native annual found in northern California regions including the North Coast Ranges, Cascade Range Foothills, northern Sierra Nevada Foothill, Sacramento Valley, and Central Western California in damp sandy or clay soils, vernal pools, seeps, fields, and meadows at elevations below 800 meters. This tiny rush produces inconspicuous flowers clustered 1 to 3 per stem, with perianth parts generally reddish in fruit. Growing with hair-like stems just 1 to 6 centimeters tall, it forms dense tufted clusters barely rising above the ground. Its basal leaves are extremely narrow, measuring less than 2.5 centimeters long and only 0.1 to 0.4 millimeters wide. The fruit is obovoid to elliptic, approximately equal in length to the perianth and bearing minute seed appendages.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 58 sympatric species; key diagnostic features are tiny size, reddish color in fruit, and obviously striate seeds
Habitat and range
Habitat: Uncommon. Damp sandy or clay soils, vernal pools, seeps, fields, meadows
Elevation: < 800 m
California counties: Monterey, Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Butte, Tehama, Napa, Lake, Humboldt, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Shasta, San Bernardino, Mono, San Diego, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Riverside
Outside California: to British Columbia, Idaho
How to tell it apart
vs Schoenoplectus: Juncus has leaf blades present; Schoenoplectus is leafless with only bladeless sheaths at base.; vs Carex: Juncus has round or flattened stems; Carex has triangular stems you can feel.; vs Luzula: Run finger along leaf edge - smooth = Juncus, hairy = Luzula.; vs Elegia: Juncus has small individual flowers; Elegia has showy papery bracts and branching structure.; vs Cyperus: Juncus has round stems and capsules; Cyperus has triangular stems and lens-shaped achenes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Juncus kelloggii native to California?
Yes. Juncus kelloggii is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Juncus kelloggii grow?
Juncus kelloggii occurs in Monterey, Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Butte, Tehama, Napa, Lake and other counties, at elevations of < 800 m.
What plant family does Juncus kelloggii belong to?
Juncus kelloggii is in the Juncaceae family, genus Juncus.
What habitat does Juncus kelloggii grow in?
Juncus kelloggii grows in Uncommon. Damp sandy or clay soils, vernal pools, seeps, fields, meadows.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.