Juncus patens (Spreading Rush)

Plant Description: evergreen perennial rush forming large tufts of narrow, erect stems. The stems are thin, gray-green, often somewhat waxy, and grooved. The leaves are reduced to brown sheaths near the base of the plant. The brown to a straw colored inflorescence sprouts laterally from the side of the stem rather than its tip and can be open or tightly compacted. Spreading rush blooms between May and August. The fruit is a spherical red or brown capsule that fills and bulges from the dried flower remnants when mature.

• Height: 1.5-3 ft
• Width: 1.5-3 ft
• Watering needs: Likes consistent moisture, tolerates no drainage and seasonal flooding.
• Sun needs: Sun to partial shade
• Soil needs: Moist soil, prefers wetland environment
• Portland Plant List (Backyard Habitat Certification): Yes

Landscape Use and Ecological Function: found growing in marshes and other wet areas only along the Pacific Coast from Southern Washington south into Northern Mexico, at elevations less than 5250 ft (1600 m) in wetlands sometimes near spring and seeps.