Description
''J. inflexus'' is a rhizomatous tufted perennial usually growing 0.5 – 1m tall. The rigid glaucous stems are thin and wiry, measuring 1 – 2.5 mm in diameter. They are lined with 15 – 20 distinct vertical ridges and filled with interrupted spongy pith. Stomata are arranged along the stem in 5 – 10 rows.Poland J, Clement EJ. 2020. ''The Vegetative Key to the British Flora''. John Poland, Southampton. The basal sheaths are a shiny reddish black. It blooms from late spring until midsummer, producing loose clusters of very small reddish-brown flowers at the top of some stems. These later ripen into brown short-beaked seed capsules.Habitat and ecology
Generally common in England and Wales, but rarer in Scotland. It grows in open wet places such as springs, marshes, wet pastures, and damp meadows as well as by rivers, ponds, and lakes. It prefers heavy base-rich or neutral soils consolidated by trampling.Richards PW, Clapham AR. 1941. ''Juncus inflexus'' L. (Juncus Glaucus Ehrh.). ''Journal of Ecology'' 29(2): 369-374. Appears to be tolerant of annual mowing and light to moderate grazing. It is unpalatable to cattle and eaten by rabbits probably only when grazing pressure is high.Subtaxa
The following subspecies are currently accepted: *''Juncus inflexus'' subsp. ''brachytepalus'' (Trautv. ex V.I.Krecz. & Gontsch.) Novikov *''Juncus inflexus'' subsp. ''inflexus''References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q161332 inflexus Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plants described in 1753