Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Juncus bufonius, known as Toad Rush, is a common annual species in the Juncaceae family found worldwide. It grows in moist and muddy places and is considered a weed in many areas. This is an annual monocot that is quite variable in appearance. It is sometimes described as a complex of variants labeled with one species name. There are three recognized varieties in California that are weakly delineated and have overlapping ranges. It is generally a green clumping grasslike rush with many thin stems wrapped with few threadlike leaves. The flowers are borne in flower clusters and also in the joint where the flower cluster branches off of the stem. The flowering period is from September through March and is a grassy flower folded within tough leafs and sepals.

Plant type

Grass

Size

1 ft Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Fast

Calscape icon
Color

Green

Flowering season

Spring

Sun

Full Sun

Water

Moderate, High

Summer irrigation

Keep moist

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerant of a variety of garden soils as long as sufficient moisture is available.
Soil PH: 5.6 - 8.0

Site type

Pond margins, streams, ditches, and other wet places

Plant communities

Wetland-Riparian

Use with other wet area plants such as Sedge (Carex spp. or Cyperus spp.), Spikerush (Eleocharis spp.), Bullrush (Schoeoplectus spp. or Scirpus spp.), and Cattail (Typha spp.)

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 7 likely

Confirmed Likely

Mottled Marble

Bactra furfurana

Javelin Moth

Bactra verutana

Yellow Sedge Borer

Capsula subflava