Juncus usitatus

Australian rush, Australian Rush

Family: Juncaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Australian rush is a naturalized perennial found in the northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Sacramento Valley, and northern San Joaquin Valley in ponds, floodplains, seeps, and wet disturbed ground at elevations below 350 meters. Flowering details are not specified in the source data. Growing with dense, clustered stems up to 115 centimeters tall and 1 to 4.7 millimeters wide, this rush has rough stems with up to 25 fine ridges on each side when dry. Its upper leaf sheaths are 8 to 22 centimeters long, with shiny dark-brown bases transitioning to green or pale brown, and thin, flat pale margins that overlap halfway up the stem. The plant produces tiny perianth segments that are green, pale brown, or slightly reddish, with wide scarious margins and three stamens.

Habitat: Ponds, floodplains, seeps, wet disturbed ground

Elevation: < 350 m

Bioregions: CaRF, n SNF, ScV, n SnJV

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