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Juncaceae is a family of , commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genus and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous plants that may superficially resemble Poaceae and Cyperaceae. They often grow on infertile soils in a wide range of moisture conditions. The best-known and largest genus is Juncus. Most of the Juncus species grow exclusively in wetland habitats. A few rushes, such as Juncus bufonius are Annual plant, but most are Perennial plant. Despite the apparent similarity, Juncaceae are not counted among the plants with the vernacular name bulrush.
The plants are bisexual or, rarely, dioecious. The small are arranged in inflorescences of loose cymes, but also in rather dense heads or at the top of the stem or at its side. This family typically has reduced perianth segments called tepals. These are usually arranged in two whorls, each containing three thin, papery tepals. They are not bright or flashy in appearance, and their color can vary from greenish to whitish, brown, purple, black, or hyaline. The three carpel are in the center of the flowers. As is characteristic of monocots, all of the flower parts appear in multiples of three.
The fruit is usually a nonfleshy, three-sectioned dehiscent capsule containing many seeds.
The common rush ( Juncus effusus) is called in Japanese and is used to weave the soft surface cover of tatami mats.
In medieval Europe, loose fresh rushes would be strewn on earthen floors in dwellings for cleanliness and insulation. Particularly favored for such a purpose was Acorus calamus (sweet flag), but despite its alternate vernacular name "sweet rush", it is a plant from a different monocot order, Acorales.Burton, Alfred. Rush-bearing: An Account of the Old Custom of Strewing Rushes: Carrying Rushes to Church; The Rush-Cart; Garlands in Churches; Morris-Dancers; The Wakes; The Rush. Manchester: Brook & Chrystal, 1891; pp. 1-12 Up until the 1960s in Ireland, rushes were spread on the earthen floor of homes during wet weather to help keep the floor dry during periods of snow or rain, or during hot weather to keep rooms cool. Rushes used in Ireland included Juncus effusus, Juncus glaucus, and Juncus conglomeratus.
The stems and leaves of Juncus kraussii were used by Indigenous Australians for fibre, for string, , woven rugs and basket-weaving. It is commonly used today for stabilisation of the banks of estuaries, around and riparian zones next to sites developed for human use. It is also used in biofiltration systems and .
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