Juncus scheuchzerioides
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Rushes & Allied Plants
Flower colours
Brown, Green
Detailed description
Densely tufted, dark green, red green or bright green perennial. Stems 20–200 × 0.2–0.5 mm. erect, densely branched from base, often creeping. Basal nodes sending out fibrous roots. Leaves numerous, basal and cauline, 10–200 × 0.5–1.0 mm, » stems, herbaceous, narrow-linear, compressed, transversely septate, pale green, red green or bright green, leaf apex acute; sheath long, membranous, bearing two obtuse auricles. Inflorescence a simple compact head of 2–8 flowers, very rarely producing a second head. Flowers 4 mm long, tepals more or less equal, the outer acuminate, the inner ovate-oblong, obtuse or shortly acuminate, light green or light brown. Stamens 6, more or less equal in length to tepals. Capsules < or > tepals, ovoid, shortly mucronate, light brown or red-brown.
Similar taxa
Could be confused with J. pusillus Buch. which also grows on the Auckland Islands with J. scheuchzerioides. Juncus pusillus differs in terete rather than compressed leaves; flowers 1.5–3.0 mm rather than c. 4 mm long; and leaves which are < rather than > 0.5 mm long. It is usually a dark brown or red-brown rather than pale green, red-green to to bright green colour.
Distribution
Indigenous. Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku. Also Macquarie Island, Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, Marion Island, Crozet Island and Kerguelen Island. Present in South America.
Habitat
Sea level to 300 m a.s.l. Usually in or near running water or in open peaty turf.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, SO
Threats
A naturally uncommon species, common within its limited geographic range.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Juncus inconspicuus D Urv., J. scheuchzerioides var. inconspicuus (D Urv.) Hook.f., Verojuncus scheuchzerioides (Gaudich.) Záveská Drábková & Proćków
Taxonomic notes
Proćków et al. (2023) proposed a taxonomic segregation of Juncus into six genera based on molecular and morphological evidence. Whilst it has long been recognised that the current circumscription of Juncus includes morphologically divergent taxa—reflected in the recognition of numerous subgenera and sections—the consensus view of the NZPCN website taxonomy subcommittee, taking into consideration advice from Australian Juncus expert Dr Karen Wilson (NSW Herbarium) and others in Europe is that the generic segregations proposed need further consideration and testing. Accordingly, it has been decided to maintain the current broad circumscription of Juncus, but to include all new names as synonyms in factsheets. We thank, in particular, Dr Wilson for her helpful comments.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December–April
Fruiting
February–July
Life cycle and dispersal
Mucilaginous seeds are dispersed by attachment, wind and water (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Not known from cultivation
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]
OBL: Obligate Wetland
Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
juncus: From the Latin jungere ‘to tie or bind’, the stems of some species being used to make cord (Johnson and Smith)
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.
JUNSCH
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, SO
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, SO
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: SO
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Johnson, A. T. and Smith, H. A. 1986. Plant Names Simplified: Their pronunciation, derivation and meaning. Landsman Bookshop Ltd, Buckenhill, UK.
Moore, L.B.; Edgar, E. 1970: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. I. Government Printer, Wellington.
Proćków, J., Záveská Drábková, L. 2023. A revision of the Juncaceae with delimitation of six new genera: nomenclatural changes in Juncus. Phytotaxa 622(1): 17–41.
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309
Attribution
Fact Sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (1 September 2006). Description based on Moore & Edgar (1970).
Some of this factsheet information is derived from Flora of New Zealand Online and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand licence.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Juncus scheuchzerioides Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/juncus-scheuchzerioides/ (Date website was queried)