Juncus patens

Spreading rush, Spreading Rush

Family: Juncaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Spreading rush is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Coast Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada foothills, Central Western California, southern California coastal areas, Channel Islands, and western Transverse Ranges in marshy places, creeks, and seeps at elevations below 1,600 meters. Its distinctive blue-gray-green stems are distinctly grooved and grow 30 to 105 centimeters tall, forming dense tufted clusters. Flower clusters appear laterally, with dark brown to black leaf sheaths that transition to green or pale brown at the upper half. The plant produces small flowers with narrow, spreading perianth parts measuring 2.2 to 3.4 millimeters long, with sepals slightly longer than petals. Tiny seeds measuring 0.4 to 0.6 millimeters are asymmetric and weakly net-veined with minute appendages.

Habitat: Marshy places, creeks, seeps

Elevation: < 1600 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CaRF, n SNF, CW, SCo, ChI, WTR

California counties: Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Butte, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Lake, Monterey, Napa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura, Riverside, Tehama, Colusa, Yolo, Solano, Nevada, Trinity, Mariposa, Placer, Sacramento

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