''Juncus tenuis'', the slender rush, is a clump-forming, round-stemmed perennial in the

Juncaceae Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genera and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous monocotyledonous plants that may superficially resemble grasses and s ...

(rush

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

). Slender rush grows to be between 15 and 60 cm tall. Generally considered a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

, it is rarely sold by retailers as a household container plant. Where it is introduced, it is colloquially called path rush, field rush, slender yard rush, poverty rush or wiregrass. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

of the plant all come from the base and are not nearly as tall as the stems. The stems are partly covered by sheaths, and have the most distinctive characteristic of the plant on them: clusters or cymes at the top. These cymes consist of branches that have small egg-shaped seed capsules at the end of them. The seeds split into three parts when they become ripe. The plant also spreads via rhizomatous root growth.

Habitat

Slender rush grows in landscapes,

crops A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydroponics ...

, roadsides, and all types of fields. It can grow on both wet and dry sites, in soils consisting mainly of sand or clay. Because of its high tolerance of compacted soils, it can outcompete other plant species in such places, hence the name "path rush". It is native throughout all fifty states of United States, most of Canada, and parts of northern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

References

* Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M. Ditomaso, ''Weeds of The Northeast'', (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997), pp. 28–29. * USDA , NRCS
Plants Profile for ''Juncus tenuis''
* Missouri Botanical Garden
''Juncus tenuis''
* Dr. John Hilty

* Niche Gardens
''Juncus tenuis''
* eFloras
Path rush

External links

* Jim Lindsey

{{Taxonbar, from=Q148097 tenuis Flora of North America Flora of Europe Plants described in 1799