Mountain rush

Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.

Scientific name: Juncus arcticus Willd. ssp. littoralis (Engelm.) Hultén; old Juncus balticus Willd.

Common name(s): mountain rush, Baltic rush

Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, NPIN Profile, Go Botany

Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)

Description:

– perennial

-rhizomatous

-tufted

-leaf sheaths are clustered at the base

  • 2-15 cm long
  • red to light to dark brown

-lowest bract of the mountain rushinflorescence is round and 2 to 20 cm

-Flowers are greenish or brownish

  • sessile to pedicellate

– one of two genera of rushes in ME; Juncus is not hairy, the other (Luzula) is hairy

Habitat:

-wetlands

Agriculture:

-fixes nitrogen

-erosion prevention-low palatability

-resistant to grazing pressure

-phenotypic plasticity to flooding and drought stress

-wildlife habitat and food

– Rushes help improve habitat for amphibians and spawning areas for fish

– Attempts at harvesting during times of heavy rain or flooding are likely to fail

Natural History:

-the stems are used to make baskets

-Juncus shoots were eaten raw, roasted in ashes, or boiled by Maidu, Luiseño, and others

 

Sources:

Stevens, M., Hoag, C., Tilley, D., and L. St. John. 2012.Plant Guide for mountain rush (Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Aberdeen Plant Materials Center. Aberdeen, Idaho 83210.

Acknowledgement(s):

Eric T. Doucette, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Biology, MA College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA (updated Feb 2018)