Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Juncus ensifolius is a species of rush known by the common name swordleaf rush. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska to central Mexico, and into eastern Canada. It is present in Japan and far eastern Russia, and it has been introduced to many other regions of the world, including Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. It is a plant of wet areas in many types of habitat. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb forming clumps of stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall. The flat but curving leaves are mostly located at the base of the stems and are variable in length. The flower cluster is an array of many rounded clusters of many flowers each. Each flower has a number of dark brown to black petals a few millimeters long and usually three small stamens enclosed between them. The fruit is an oblong capsule with a small beak on the tip.

Plant type

Grass

Size

8 - 24 in Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Moderate

Calscape icon
Color

Purple, Brown, Black

Flowering season

Summer

Sun

Partial Shade

Soil drainage

Standing

Soil description

Adaptable, tolerant of sand, loam and clay.

Site type

Wet places

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Red Fir Forest, Forest, Yellow Pine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 6 likely

Confirmed Likely

Mottled Marble

Bactra furfurana

Javelin Moth

Bactra verutana

Yellow Sedge Borer

Capsula subflava