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Spiny Rush
Juncus acutus
  
About Spiny Rush (Juncus acutus) 12 Nurseries Carry This Plant Spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush is of the monocot family Juncaceae and genus Juncus. It grows in salt marshes and on dunes and is reliable for reducing erosion rates. The stems which emerge from a central cluster have sharp terminal spines. It has been introduced in some countries like Australia where it is considered to be an invasive weed and the spines harmful to young children. In California it is found primarily along the central and southern coast. It is a brown and green "tussocky" perennial that can be to 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall in all kinds of soils- in areas which go from extremes in flood and dry like dunes or that just stay wet like lowland grassland and grassy woodland, riparian vegetation, freshwater wetland, and saline and sub-saline wetlands. There is one recognized variety, var. leopoldii, which is rare and included on CNPS List 4.2. This plant is not often used in home gardens because of its terminal spines and its habitat requirements. It is one of several species of Juncus used by native people of California for basket weaving.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Grass, Shrub

Size
Size
5 ft tall
5 ft wide

Form
Form
Fountain

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Brown

Wildlife Supported
 


 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Keep moist

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 25° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Slow, Standing

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates almost any soil as long as adequate moisture is present. Tolerates Saline Soil,Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 9.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bogs and Ponds, Groundcovers

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with plants from similar wet, salty or alkaline places, such as Saltbush (Atriplex sp.), Sedge (Carex sp.), Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), Beaked Spikerush (Eleocharis rostellata), Palmer's Frankenia (Frankenia palmeri), San Diego Marsh Elder (Iva hayesiana), Baja Desert Thorn (Lycium brevipes)

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Seeps, meadows, salt marsh, dunes, and adjacent areas, primarily along the southern coast

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 2.7" - 36.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 1.38", Coldest Month: 42.1" - 60.1", Hottest Month: 62.6" - 88.8", Humidity: 0.92" - 40.20", Elevation: -142" - 3968"


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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