Heath Rush - Juncus squarrosus

Description

Short rhizomes creating dense tuft of tough, wiry leaves that arise mostly from the base; leaves deeply channelled on top, rounded underneath.  Lowest bracts much shorter than flowerhead; outer 3 tepals sharply pointed. 

Similar Species

other Juncus

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Photograph of the plant in its habitats, and photograph details of inflorescence

Habitat

Damp heaths and moors on acid soils.

When to see it

Flowering June and July.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Widespread in much of Britain but scarcer in some central and eastern areas of Britain. It can be abundant in suitable areas but absent from others.

VC55 Status

Nearly scarce in Leicestershire and Rutland, but can be locally frequent in Charnwood Forest.   In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi and Evans 1988) it was found in 11 of the 617 tetrads.

It was on the 2011 VC55 Rare Plant Register (Jeeves, 2011) but does not meet the criteria for the current RPR (Hall and Woodward, 2022)

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Heath Rush
Species group:
Grasses, Rushes & Sedges
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Poales
Family:
Juncaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
9
First record:
15/06/2013 (Woodward, Steve)
Last record:
03/09/2024 (Isabel Raval)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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