Wildflower Wednesday: Path Rush

I found Juncus tenuis/Path rush growing at Clay and Limestone.

Despite the common name of Path Rush it wasn't found on a path. The paths through my garden are neither sunny or damp enough to please this rush plant. Instead, it has found a home in the cracks in the asphalt driveway. In fact, the only time I've ever seen this plant growing has been in cracks in asphalt driveways.

 

 Juncus tenuis is a rhizomatous cool season perennial rush. It's a common species of rush that can be found throughout North America. 

Plants in the rush family typically have      

• Basal leaves (a)
  
• Round and solid stems (b)
  
• With 3 sepals and 3 sepal-like petals  (e) 
  
• Many-seeded capsules that split open lengthwise into 3 sections. (f)
  

 

Source

 

Path rush grows easily in average, medium to wet, soil in full sun or partial shade, but this Rush species is also tolerant of drier conditions. Which explains why it's happy in the cracks in my drive. 

My driveway cracks collect rain water and runoff when I water the containers. I would not be exaggerating if I said they're a garden oasis. Fleabane, Penstemon, Rudbeckia, Elephantopus, Carex, Columbine and even Phacelia bipinnatifida have started life there. I have been able to tease plants out and transplant them to containers where they've thrived.  That's what I intend to do with a few of the Juncus tenuis.

 

I did it! It just took soaking the cracks and then gently tugging on all the plants until I found two that easily lifted out! I am thrilled to get two plants, roots and all. They look good, not bad for a plant growing in a crack in an asphalt driveway.

 Juncus tenuis is often used as a tough, erosion-controlling groundcover. The roots are thick and fibrous and able to hold the soil in place.

 

Juncus tenuis has cool qualities:

• It will grow in wet soil that dries to drought conditions
• It survives heavy clay and gravelly soils
  
• Thrives in disturbed soil
• Tolerates foot traffic
• It's pest resistant and unpalatable to deer and other herbivores
• Would be a nice lawn alternative
  
• What's so very astonishing is finding it growing in cracks in pavement where it survives incredible heat, pollution and car traffic

This quote says it all! "It is a plant for the Blade Runner era, for abandoned industrial zones, for rooftops, and for crumbling vacant shopping malls." (source) 

Look closely to see the tiny seeds on Jo's hand

How did the seeds of Path rush fall into my driveway cracks? Look at the photo above from Jo Brichetto, can you can see tiny little dots on her fingers? Those are the seeds. Path Rush has a ingenious seed dispersal mechanism. Those tiny seeds are covered with a sticky substance that can be easily carried by boots, animal fur or even on a car's tires. No wonder it's found growing all over most of North America. It's completely possible that the seeds were transported to my driveway via car tires or hiking boot.

 

I really appreciate a plant that is incredibly adaptable and survives the most difficult places. I want to plant more. It might be perfect for the sunniest spot in the front garden along the street where walkers disturb the soil. Juncus tenuis thrives in disturbed soil and could tolerate the wet soil during the rainy winters and our dry droughty summers. I planted the two I pulled from the driveway cracks into a wet container with another rush and Iris fulva. 

This could be the start of something big at Clay and Limestone ;)

 The Particulars

 Botanical name: Juncus tenuis

Common Name: Path rush, field rush, slender yard rush, poverty rush or wiregrass

 Family: Juncaceae (rushes)

Native Range: native throughout the United States and in most of Canada.

Zone: 2 to 9 

Height: 0.50 to 2.00 feet 

Spread: 0.50 to 2.00 feet 

Bloom Time: May to September 

Bloom Description: Green

Flower:Supposed to be attractive, but you need to get down on the ground to see it

Sun: Full sun to part shade 

Water: Medium to wet 

Maintenance: Low 

Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Water Plant, Naturalize, Rain Garden 

Tolerate: Erosion, Wet Soil and is not eaten by deer

 Comments: Besides growing in the most inhospitable places. It's really a great edger for paths because it's not harmed by foot traffic. It's also a soil stabilizer for disturbed soils.

Wildlife Value: provides cover, nesting material and nesting sites for wetland birds and other wildlife.

Rushes in general are great for soil stabilization. They are also an excellent food source for wildlife. Songbirds, waterfowl, muskrats, quail, gophers, and rabbits eat the seeds. They provide cover for all kinds of wildlife, from waterfowl to amphibians. Muskrats use rushes to build their houses. Cattle will eat rushes, but only if they can’t find other, better tasting forage. Rushes are important members of many prairie and wetland communities. Most are good for erosion control and some are effective colonizers of disturbed habitats. The seeds, rootstocks, and foliage provide food for many kinds of animals. The rapid and lush growth of many types of rushes make them useful for preventing erosion, stabilizing stream banks, absorbing rain runoff in water gardens, and purifying water in wastewater treatment and biofiltration projects.

 

Path rush might or might not have a pretty face, but I find it a charming plant and see it as a valuable addition to a wildlife friendly garden.xoxogail

Welcome to Clay and Limestone and Wildflower Wednesday.  This day is about sharing wildflowers and other native plants no matter where one gardens~the UK, tropical Florida, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, India or the coldest reaches of Canada. It doesn't matter if we sometimes share the same plants. How they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most.
 

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.