Juncus effusus

"Common Rush" and "Soft Rush" redirect here. Another 'soft rush' species in North America is Juncus interior (interior rush).
soft rush
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Juncaceae
Genus: Juncus
Species: J. effusus
Binomial name
Juncus effusus
L.
Synonyms[1]
  • Juncus communis E.Mey.
  • Juncus laevis Wallr.
  • Juncus bogotensis Kunth
  • Juncus fistulosus Guss.
  • Juncus mauritianus Bojer
  • Juncus lucens Burnham
  • Juncus zebrinus André
  • Juncus luxurians Colenso
  • Juncus laxus Robyns & Tournay
  • Juncus canariensis Willd. ex E.Mey.
  • Juncus oehleri Graebn.
  • Juncus griscomii Fernald

Juncus effusus, with the common names Soft rush or common rush, is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant species in the family Juncaceae.

Distribution

The plant is nearly cosmopolitan, considered native in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. It has naturalized in Australia, Madagascar, and various oceanic islands.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

It is found growing in wet areas, such as wetlands, riparian areas, and marshes. In the United Kingdom it is found in purple moor-grass and rush pastures and fen-meadow plant associations.[7]

Description

Pupal cases of Coleophora caespitiella on J. effusus.

Juncus effusus grows in large clumps about 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) 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 filling. The yellowish inflorescence appears to emerge from one side of the stem about 20 centimetres (8 in) 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.

Subspecies

Five subspecies are currently recognized:[1]

  1. Juncus effusus subsp. austrocalifornicus Lint — endemic to California and Baja California.[8][9][10]
  2. Juncus effusus subsp. effusus — widespread
  3. Juncus effusus subsp. laxus (Robyns & Tournay) Snogerup — tropical Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Canary Islands, Madeira.
  4. Juncus effusus subsp. pacificus (Fernald & Wiegand) Piper & Beattie — Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, Baja California.[10][11][12]
  5. Juncus effusus subsp. solutus (Fernald & Wiegand) Hämet-Ahti — central and eastern United States.[13]

Juncus effusus can be differentiated from the rarer Juncus pylaei by the number of ridges on the stem. Juncus effusus has 30 to 40 ridges and J. pylaei has 10 to 20.[14]

Chemistry

Juncusol is a 9,10-dihydrophrenathrene found in J. effusus.[15][16] The plant also contains effusol[17] and dehydroeffusol.[18]

Uses

Wildlife

The species provides wildfowl and wader feeding and nesting habitats, and also habitats for small mammals.

A number of invertebrates feed on soft rush, including the rufous minor moth.

Humans

In Japan, this rush is grown to be woven into the covering of tatami mats. In Hui sup tea, Juncus effusus is listed as one of the seven ingredients.

In Europe, this rush was once used to make rushlights (by soaking the pith in grease), a cheap alternative to candles.

Cultivation

The species is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for planting in water gardens, native plant and wildlife gardens, and for larger designed natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects.

The cultivar Juncus effusus 'Spiralis' (syn. Juncus spiralis), with the common names corkscrew rush or spiral rush, is a distinctive potted and water garden plant due to its very curled spiral like foliage.[19]

Weed control

Juncus effusus can become a naturalized or invasive species, undesirable in rangelands for its unpalatability to livestock. Suggested methods of controlling rushes include: ploughing; high applications of inorganic fertiliser (can pollute watersheds); and topping to prevent seed formation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ↑ Kirschner, J. & al. (2002). Juncaceae. Species Plantarum: Flora of the World 6-8: 1-237, 1-336,1-192. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.
  3. ↑ Al-Qura'n, S. (2011). The flora of Jordan: A taxonomical revision of Juncaceae. Arnaldoa 18: 33-36.
  4. ↑ Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 48, 灯心草 deng xin cao, Juncus effusus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 326. 1753
  5. ↑ Flora of North America vol 22, Soft rush, Juncus effusus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 326. 1753.
  6. ↑ C. Michael Hogan, ed. 2010. Juncus effusus. Encyclopedia of Life.
  7. ↑ Conservation Land Management Magazine: "Cutting Rushes" article, Spring 2003, British Wildlife Publishing.
  8. ↑ Calflora: Juncus effusus subsp. austrocalifornicus
  9. ↑ Jepson eFlora: Juncus effusus subsp. austrocalifornicus
  10. 1 2 Peter F.Zika (2003). "The native subspecies of Juncus effusus (Juncaceae) in western North America". Brittonia 55 (2): 150–156. doi:10.1663/0007-196X(2003)055[0150:TNSOJE]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 3218455.
  11. ↑ Calflora: Juncus effusus subsp. pacificus
  12. ↑ Jepson: Juncus effusus subsp. pacificus
  13. ↑ USDA: Juncus effusus subsp. solutus
  14. ↑ Morton, J.K. and Venn, Joan. M. (2000). "The Flora of Manitoulin Island". University of Waterloo Biology Series n. 40. 3rd. edition.
  15. ↑ Bhattacharyya,Experientia,36,(1980),27
  16. ↑ Shima,Phytochem.,30,(1991),3149
  17. ↑ Phenanthrene synthesis: The synthesis of effusol a 9,10-Dihydrophenanthrene from the marsh grass Juncus effusus. CF Carvalho, MV Sargent and E Stanojevic, Australian Journal of Chemistry, 1984, volume 37, issue 10, pages 2111-2117, doi:10.1071/CH9842111
  18. ↑ Anxiolytic and Sedative Effects of Dehydroeffusol from Juncus effusus in Mice. You-Jiao Liao, Hai-Feng Zhai, Bing Zhang, Tian-Xuan Duan and Jian-Mei Huang, Planta Med., 2011, volume 77, pages 416–420, doi:10.1055/s-0030-1250517
  19. ↑ Heritage Perennials: Juncus effusus spiralis

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