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Soft Rush

Soft Rush

Juncus effusus

Identify the Soft Rush from a photo and log your finds with Florapass.

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How common: Common

Soft Rush is a clump-forming wetland plant with smooth, upright green stems and tiny brown flower clusters. The flower cluster sits partway up the stem while a long, pointed, leaf-like tip continues above, making the cluster look sideways. It grows on wet ground such as shores, ditches and marshy meadows.

Did you know?

  • The stems are solid, not hollow.
  • Its green clumps overwinter and can be seen as green tufts in winter.

About the species

Identification

Forms dense clumps of upright, stiff, round green stems, 40–120 cm. Stems are smooth and solid (not hollow). No flat leaves; only brownish bases at ground level. Tiny brown flowers are in a loose cluster partway up the stem; above them a long, pointed, leaf-like tip continues so the cluster seems to spring from the side. Clusters are usually loose, sometimes nearly ball-like. Later it makes small, many-seeded pods. Compared with Compact Rush, the flower head is usually less tight and not as perfectly ball-like. Flowers in Finland from June to August.

Plant group

Grasses, sedges and rushes

Habitat

yards and roadsides

Flowering

Jun–Aug

About the habitat

Likes wet ground: edges of lakes and the sea, marshy meadows, boggy ground, ditches and excavations, often in places shaped by people. Widespread in many regions of the world. Common in southern Finland, rather rare already in central Finland, and absent in the north.

Sources

Photo: Tom Beard, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6129843338

Text: Pinkka: Kasvien talvi - Koululaisille: talvivihreät kasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40202

Text: Pinkka: Laaja maatalouslajintuntemus 4 op - Koppisiemeniset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40202

Text: Pinkka: Kasvitieteen retkeily Ahvenanmaalle - Järsö, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40202

Text: Pinkka: Kasvien talvi - Talvivihreät luonnonkasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40202

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B6yhyvihvil%C3%A4

See also