''Juncus gerardii'', commonly known as blackgrass, black needle rush or saltmarsh rush, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

in the rush

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

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 ...

Distribution

''Juncus gerardii'' is mainly a coastal species, occurring at the high tide mark on the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Baltic and Black sea shorelines of Europe and the east coast of North America ''Juncus gerardii'' is one of the many species identified by Eric Hultén as amphi-Atlantic plants, meaning that they have a disjunct distribution on both sides of the Atlantic, but are absent on the Pacific side of the globe. It also occurs inland in parts of eastern Europe, west and central Asia, particularly on saline soils. In North America it occurs along the shorelines of areas once flooded by the sea, and as a weed along railway lines, for example in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

. In

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, it is the only ''Juncus'' species found in the Tipton Till Plain, a

Till Plain Till plains are an extensive flat plain of glacial till that forms when a sheet of ice becomes detached from the main body of a glacier and melts in place, depositing the sediments it carried. Ground moraines are formed with melts out of the g ...

in the Glacial till plains.

References

gerardii Halophytes Salt marsh plants Flora of North America Plants described in 1809 {{Poales-stub