Species

Juncus gerardii

Etymology

Juncus: From the Latin jungere 'to tie or bind', the stems of some species being used to make cord (Johnson and Smith)

Family

Juncaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

JUNGRD

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Rushes and Allied Plants

Habitat

Aquatic: Emergent.

Features

Sward forming rush with black rhizomes and erect tufts of dull green leaves, to 20 cm long and 1 mm wide. Leaves are stiff and wiry with small, rounded auricles. Stems 40 - 80 cm tall; flowers spread out on open fan-shaped branchlets. Flowers 3-4 mm long with dark tepals; hooded at tip. Light brown broad capsules are about equal to tepals.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished by the large patches formed in salt marshes, and the far-reaching black rhizomes, and dark brown to black, blunt-tipped tepals

Flower Colours

Brown,Red / Pink

Year Naturalised

1891

Origin

Europe, Asia, N. Africa, N. America

Reason for Introduction

Accidental



References and further reading

Johnson, A. T. and Smith, H. A (1986). Plant Names Simplified: Their pronunciation, derivation and meaning. Landsman Bookshop Ltd: Buckenhill, UK.

This page last updated on 5 Jun 2014