Juncus marginatus

Grassleaved or red-anthered rush, Red-Anthered Rush

Family: Juncaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Grassleaved rush is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Foothill regions of Tehama and Nevada counties in sunny seeps and shallow water at elevations of 300 to 950 meters. With slender stems 15 to 70 centimeters tall, this rush produces flowers with sharply acute sepals and blunter petals in reddish-brown tones. Growing from a short, thick, and knobby rhizome, the plant has leaf blades 1 to 6 millimeters wide that extend along the stem. Its distinctive flowers feature three stamens with purple-red anthers that are notably longer than the reddish-brown petals. The mature plant produces small spherical fruits equal in length to the perianth, with tiny ovoid brown seeds.

Habitat: Locally common in sunny seeps, shallow water, abandoned placer mines

Elevation: 300-950 m

Bioregions: CaRF (Tehama Co.), n SNF (Nevada Co.)

California counties: Shasta, Tehama, Nevada, Los Angeles

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