Juncus articulatus
Common name
jointed rush
Family
Juncaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Rushes & Allied Plants
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
JUNART
Brief description
Sprawling leafy rush to 80 cm tall, leaves round with internal cross walls (feels like clicks if you hold base of leaf between finger and thumb and slide up), plant with branched flowerheads made up of many small clusters of 4 to 8 dark purple to black flowers/capsules (fruit).
Distribution
Widespread and common throughout.
Habitat
Margins of flowing and still water bodies, drains and wet pasture, sometimes submerged or floating.
Features
Extremely variable perennial rush, 6-60 cm tall, dark green, usually reddish-tinged, loosely or densely tufted or forming open colonies. Stems round, rarely erect, usually flatter or prostrate and rooting at nodes, occ floating. Rhizomes usually short, occ long and forming mats. Leaves mostly along the stems, 5-20 cm long, round or compressed, with distinct hollow compartments separated by partitions (joints) usually visible externally and obvious to touch. Seedhead a loose panicle, terminal, 1-15 cm long, with many branches and clusters of small dark brown flowers. Seed capsules 2-4 mm long, triangular, glossy, dark brown to black.
Similar taxa
Similar to other tubular septate leaved rushes, but is often sprawling or ascending rather than upright, with acute-tipped dark brown to black capsules longer than the tepals.
Flowering
Summer
Flower colours
Black, Brown
Fruiting
Autumn
Life cycle
Seed dispersed by animals, water or contaminated machinery.
Year naturalised
1864
Origin
Eurasia, North Africa and North America
Reason for introduction
Unknown, seed or soil contaminant.
Control techniques
Rarely controlled, but can be controlled manually, mechanically or herbicidally depending on situation.
Etymology
juncus: From the Latin jungere ‘to tie or bind’, the stems of some species being used to make cord (Johnson and Smith)
Notes on taxonomy
Subgenus Juncus, Section Ozophyllum (Septati) Kirschner (2002: Juncaceae 2)
Attribution
Factsheet prepared by Paul Champion and Deborah Hofstra (NIWA).
References and further reading
Healy, A.J.; Edgar, E. (1980). Flora of New Zealand, Volume III. Adventive Cyperaceous, Petalous and Spathaceous Monocotyledons. Government Printer, Wellington. 220pp.
Johnson PN, Brooke PA (1989). Wetland plants in New Zealand. DSIR Field Guide, DSIR Publishing, Wellington. 319pp.
Johnson, A. T. and Smith, H. A (1986). Plant Names Simplified: Their pronunciation, derivation and meaning. Landsman Bookshop Ltd: Buckenhill, UK.
Champion et al (2012). Freshwater Pests of New Zealand. NIWA publication. http://www.niwa.co.nz/freshwater-and-estuaries/management-tools/identification-guides-and-fact-sheets/freshwater-pest-species
Kirschner, J. (compiler) (2002). Juncaceae 2: Juncus subg. Juncus, Species Plantarum: Flora of the World Part 7: 1-336.
Healy, A.J. (1982). Identification of weeds and clovers. New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Society Publication. Editorial Services Limited, Featherston. 299pp.