Soft rush
Encyclopedia
Soft Rush is a member of the genus
Juncus
. Native to most continents and hence also known as Common Rush, this plant is found growing in wet areas, such as the purple moor-grass and rush pastures
and fen-meadow
plant associations in the United Kingdom
.
The stems are smooth cylinders with light pith
filling. The yellowish inflorescence
appears to emerge from one side of the stem about 20 cm from the top. In fact the stem ends there; the top part is the bract
, that continues with only a slight colour-band marking it from the stem. The lower leaves are reduced to a brown sheath at the bottom of the stem.
countries.
(syn. J. spiralis; J. effusus 'Spiralis) or Corkscrew Rush (Spiral Rush) is a popular ornamental water plant due to its tortuous spiral like foliage.
into the covering of tatami
mats.
In Europe this rush was once used to make rushlights (by soaking the pith in grease), a cheap alternative to candles.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Juncus
Juncus
Juncus is a genus in the plant family Juncaceae. It consists of some 200 to 300 or more species of grassy plants commonly called rushes...
. Native to most continents and hence also known as Common Rush, this plant is found growing in wet areas, such as the purple moor-grass and rush pastures
Purple moor-grass and rush pastures
Purple moor grass and rush pastures is a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and acidic soils of the lowlands and upland fringe...
and fen-meadow
Fen-meadow
A Fen-meadow is a habitat that occurs in numerous locations throughout northern and western Europe. This habitat is found in generally damp lowland areas....
plant associations in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Description
It grows in large clumps about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall at the water’s edge along streams and ditches, but can be invasive anywhere with moist soil. It is commonly found growing in humus-rich areas like marshes, ditches, fens, and beaver dams.The stems are smooth cylinders with light pith
Pith
Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which store and transport nutrients throughout the plant. In eudicots, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocots, it extends also into flowering stems and roots...
filling. The yellowish inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
appears to emerge from one side of the stem about 20 cm from the top. In fact the stem ends there; the top part is the bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
, that continues with only a slight colour-band marking it from the stem. The lower leaves are reduced to a brown sheath at the bottom of the stem.
Distinction from other species
J. effusus can be differentiated from the rarer J. pylaei by the number of ridges on the stem. J. effusus has 30 to 40 ridges and J. pylaei has 10 to 20.Differentiation within the Species
Juncus effusus is divided into no fewer than nine varieties, as listed by the USDA PLANTS website. The list presented there includes the following varieties: the 'lamp rush' varieties brunneus, decipiens, exiguus, gracilis, and solutus; 'common rush' varieties conglomeratus, effusus, and pylaei; and 'Pacific rush' pacificus. Many of these have overlapping distributions in the US. The specific details differentiating these varieties are not presented on the USDA PLANTS website, but attribution to specific botanists is given for each variety.Distribution
It is a common plant native in most temperateTemperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
countries.
Cultivation
Juncus effusus f. spiralisJuncus effusus 'Spiralis'
Juncus effusus 'Spiralis, the corkscrew rush , is a perennial plant with green spiraling stems. It is a cultivar of the soft rush, Juncus effusus.-Description:...
(syn. J. spiralis; J. effusus 'Spiralis) or Corkscrew Rush (Spiral Rush) is a popular ornamental water plant due to its tortuous spiral like foliage.
Uses
In Japan this rush is grown to be wovenWeaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
into the covering of tatami
Tatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core , with a covering of woven soft rush straw, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width...
mats.
In Europe this rush was once used to make rushlights (by soaking the pith in grease), a cheap alternative to candles.
General references
- Peter F.Zika., The native subspecies of Juncus effusus (Juncaceae) in western North America, April 2003, Brittonia pages 150–156.
- C.Michael Hogan, ed. 2010. Juncus Effusus. Encyclopedia of Life.