Southern Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Juncus scirpoides Lam.
- Family: Rush (Juncaceae)
- Flowering: June-October
- Field Marks: This rush is distinguished by its spherical heads, hollow, cylindrical leaves, and its capsules longer than the sepals and petals.
- Habitat: Wet soil to shallow water in prairies, swamps, bogs, and savannas.
- Habit: Perennial herb with thickened, whitish rootstocks.
- Stems: Upright, smooth, usually several together, up to 3 feet tall.
- Leaves: 1-3 per stem, cylindrical, hollow, with conspicuous cross walls, without hairs.
- Flowers: Up to 30 in spherical heads, with several heads per plant, 1/4-1/3 inch in diameter.
- Sepals: 3, very slender, pointed, 1/8-1/6 inch long.
- Petals: 3, very slender, pointed, a little shorter than the sepals.
- Stamens: 3.
- Pistils: Ovary superior
- Fruits: Capsules narrow, long-pointed, 1/6-1/4 inch long, longer than the sepals and petals.
Previous Species -- Creeping Rush (Juncus repens)
Return to Species List -- Group 4
Next Species -- Round-head Rush (Juncus validus)
