Common Name

Sharp Rush, Spiny Rush

Family

Juncaceae

Notes

Introduced perennial rush to 2m tall. Leaves basal, with a sheath at the base, almost as long as the flower stems, about 4mm diameter, cylindrical, tipped with a very sharp spine. Flowers with 6 'petals', greenish, straw brown to reddish brown, in compact almost round clusters of 1-6 subtended by a sharp-pointed bract continuous with the flower stem, (looking as if they are on the sides of the stems) and at the tops of the flower stems, 5-50 clusters in the inflorescence. Noxious weed Vic.

Description and line drawing in GM Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 176

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Juncus~acutus

Weeds of Australia Biosecurity Queensland description (as Juncus acutus subsp. acutus): http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Juncus_acutus_subsp._acutus.htm