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Toad Rush

Toad Rush

Juncus bufonius

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How common: Common

Toad Rush is a tiny annual rush of muddy, trampled places. It forms low, loose tufts with thread-like leaves and a fine, airy spray of small greenish flowers. It is widespread across the world and often appears wherever wet ground is disturbed.

Did you know?

  • A true globe‑trotter: native or naturalised on most continents.
  • Its flowers are pollinated by wind, not insects.

About the species

Identification

Small, 5–25 cm. Many smooth, round stems stand upright or lean. Leaves are very short, soft and thread‑like with a shallow groove; they are few and spaced out on the stems. The loose, open flower spray is usually about half the stem’s length. Single, stalkless flowers are tiny and greenish, with six narrow, pointed parts; the outer ones 4–8 mm. Fruits are tiny many‑seeded cases (2–5 mm) with a short tip. Often turns brown with age. Among small rushes, its low, loose tufts and very short leaves help tell it apart. Flowers in Finland from June to August.

Plant group

Grasses, sedges and rushes

Habitat

shore

Flowering

Jun–Aug

About the habitat

Wet, muddy ground in many places: lake and river edges, ditches, tracks, fields, excavations and other disturbed sites; also wet meadows and edges of swamps. Common in southern and central Finland, scarcer in the north; rarest in far northern Lapland.

Sources

Photo: John Barkla, CC BY 4.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6130476679

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki versot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40209

Text: Pinkka: Laaja maatalouslajintuntemus 4 op - Koppisiemeniset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40209

Text: Pinkka (Luomus), CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40209

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40209

Text: Pinkka: Pieni maatalouslajintuntemus - Puuvartiset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.40209

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

See also