Juncus lomatophyllus
Common name
broad-leaved rush
Family
Juncaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Rushes & Allied Plants
Conservation status
Not applicable
Brief description
Leafy rush to 74 cm tall, leaves broad (to 1.5 cm wide), flattened often with pink base, with young leafy shoots at the base attached to creeping stems, with branched flowerheads made up of 3 to 12 clusters of dark-brown to black flowers/capsules (fruit).
Distribution
Widespread and locally abundant in northern Westland.
Habitat
Wet pasture and a wide range of wet habitats.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
Features
Tufted, grass-like perennial, with leafy offsets. Stems 15-75 cm high, > leaves. Leaves 6-15 mm wide, flat, of thin texture, tapering gradually from the wide base to a small fine point, bluish-green, occasionally reddish-tinged near margins and tips; sheaths red. Inflorescence 10-26 cm long, open, with many spreading branches. Flowers in clusters of 3-12 at tips of branches, clusters ± 10 mm diam. Tepals 3.5-4.5 mm long, ± equal. Stamens 6. Capsules c. 3 mm long, < tepals, narrow, acute, dark brown.
Similar taxa
No other grass-leaved rushes has such large and wide leaves, perhaps the native J. planifolius is the most similar, but lacks the stoloniforous sward-forming growth habit and has much smaller (< 2.5 mm) capsules and flower clusters.
Flowering
Summer
Flower colours
Black, Brown
Fruiting
Autumn
Life cycle
Seed dispersed by animals, water or contaminated machinery.
Year naturalised
1969
Origin
South Africa
Reason for introduction
Unknown, seed or soil contaminant.
Control techniques
Rarely controlled, but can be controlled manually, mechanically or herbicidally depending on situation, susceptible to grazing.
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 Graminifolii Kirschner (2002: Juncaceae 2)
Attribution
Prepared by Paul Champion and Deborah Hofstra (NIWA). Features description from Healy and Edgar (1980).
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.