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Species Native to Missouri
Common Name: common rush
Type: Rush or Sedge
Family: Juncaceae
Zone: 4 to 9
Native Range: Eurasia, North America, Australia, New Zealand
Garden Location: Lang Family Bird Garden, Kemper Center Landscape, Spoehrer Children's Garden
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Spread: 2 to 4 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Color: Green, Yellow
Bloom Description: Yellowish-green
Sun: Full sun
Water: Wet
Maintenance: Low
Flowers: Showy Flowers
Tolerates: Wet Soil
Uses: Erosion Control, Rain Garden, Water Plant, Will Naturalize
Culture
Easily grown in moist to wet soils, including standing water to 4” deep, in full sun locations. Tolerates light shade, but best in full sun. Notwithstanding its preference for abundant moisture, soft rush will perform surprisingly well in average garden soils as long as they receive consistent irrigation. Clumps are often slow to establish, but once established will spread by creeping rhizomes. Soft rush may be grown in tubs or containers sunk in the mud to control unwanted rhizome spread. Plants will also naturalize by self-seeding. In St. Louis, clumps die to the ground in winter. Cut back old foliage in early spring. Propagate by seed or division.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Soft rush or common rush (also bog rush or mat rush) is a grass-like, rhizomatous perennial that features cylindrical upright green stems in spreading basal clumps to 20-40” tall. Clumps provide vertical accent to moist garden areas. Although the stems appear from a distance as coarse and stiff, they are soft to the touch. Soft rush is native to North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In many locations it is considered to be a somewhat aggressive weed. Juncus effuses var. solutus is commonly found in central and southern Missouri in stream margins, sloughs, ponds, wet depressions in fields, pastures and prairies and in roadside ditches (Steyermark). Soft rush is one of the true rushes. The plant leaves are reduced to bladeless sheathing at the stem bases. Insignificant, tiny, yellowish-green to pale brown flowers appear in clusters (many flowered cymes) that emerge on the side of the stems slightly below the stem tips in summer. Foliage turns yellow in fall before browning up for winter. Soft rush is commercially grown in Japan for making tatami (woven mats for homes). From ancient times until the early 1900s, soft rush stems were used in England to create inexpensive, candle-like evening lights called “rushlights.” Rush stems were peeled away and the inner pith was soaked in animal fat, grease or wax. When dry, the pith could be lit at one end (sometimes both ends) and burned like a candle. Juncus means rush, and effusus means loose-spreading in probable reference to plant habit.
Plant of Merit
This grass-like rush provides outstanding form, texture and vertical accent to sunny, moist to wet areas of the landscape including water gardens, pond margins, boggy areas, wet pebbly/rocky areas or in several inches of standing water. Basal clumps of cylindrical, upright, soft-to-the-touch, green stems rise to 20-40 inches tall.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Rust, leaf spot and stem rots may occur.
Garden Uses
May be grown at the edge of a pond or water garden, in boggy areas, among wet pebbles or rocks or in several inches of standing water. Good water garden accent. Effective in containers. Adds a certain amount of authenticity to transitional waterside areas. May help control soil erosion on moist banks.