''Juncus megacephalus'', the bighead rush, is a plant species native to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is known from every seacoast state from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, as well as

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, growing in freshwater marshes, sand dunes, and disturbed sites at elevations less than .Flora of North America v 22
/ref> ''Juncus megacephalus'' is a perennial herb spreading by means of underground

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. Erect stems are round in cross-section, in diameter, up to tall. Leaves are up to long. Inflorescence is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

of up to 20

heads A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...

. Each head is spherical, about in diameter, with about 50 flowers. Flowers are straw-colored, about in diameter. Wunderlin, R. P. 1998. Guide Vascular Plants of Florida i–x, 1–806. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15506752 megacephalus Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of Texas Flora of Massachusetts Taxa named by Moses Ashley Curtis Flora without expected TNC conservation status