Juncus patens is a species of Juncus, known by the common names spreading rush and California grey rush.[ Flora of North America: Juncus patens]
It is native to the West Coast of the United States from Washington to California, and into Baja California, Mexico.[ USDA]
It grows at , springs, and in stream beds and on river and pond banks, in , and in other moist .[ Encyclopedia of Life: Juncus patens; C.Michael Hogan ed. 2010.]
Description
Juncus patens is a perennial herb forming narrow, erect bunches of stems. It grows up to in height by in width.
[ Las Pilitas Database: Juncus patens (Common Rush)] It spreads by , which can increase a colonies width substantially.
The stems are thin, gray-green, often somewhat waxy, and grooved, and grow in height.
The inflorescence sprouts from the side of the stem, rather than its tip. It holds many flowers, each of which has short, narrow, pointed and six . It flowers in the summer.
The fruit is a spherical red or brown capsule which fills and bulges from the dried flower remnants when mature. The seeds attract birds.
Cultivation
Juncus patens is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for use in traditional and , and in natural landscaping design, and in habitat restoration projects.[ California Natives Wiki: Juncus patens — Theodore Paune Foundation horticulture database.][ San Marcos Growers database: Juncus patens homepage] Its tall narrow form fits into narrow garden beds and planters adjacent to walkway walls, and in container planting.[Harlow, Nora and Kristin Jakob; Wild Lilies, Irises, and Grasses: Gardening with California Monocots; Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA; University of California Press; 2003.] Despite its moist habitat origins, it can be very xeriscaping when established.[Bornstein, Carol, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien; California Native Plants for the Garden; Los Olivos, CA; Cachuma Press; 2005.]
In sustainable gardening and sustainable landscaping, Juncus patens is used in and phytoremediation swales and intermittent ponds.
Cultivars
of Juncus patens, selected for blue and/or gray foliage emphasis, include:
External links
