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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE RUSH FAMILY | |||||||||
| The rushes are generally widespread in Saskatchewan in moist habitats such as lakeshores, riverbanks, and sloughs. These plants may look like grasses because the leaves are long and linear. The leaves are in three vertical rows, instead of two vertical rows like in the grasses. The flowers are small and plain. The tepals are usually green or brown and papery in texture. The flowers are clustered into heads and then into branched or unbranched inflorescences. The inflorescences are subtended by bracts. In some species, the bracts are leaf-like and make the inflorescence look like it is coming from the side of the stem instead of the top. The fruit is a capsule. | |||||||||
| DAGGER RUSH | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Juncus ensifolius | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Dagger rush is an erect perennial plant that grows up to 60 cm tall from a slender rhizome. There are basal and stem leaves, both of which are straw-coloured. The flowers are in heads which are in turn clustered into groups of two to 50. Each head has between three and 70 flowers. The inner tepals are slightly shorter than the outer tepals. Both sets of tepals are green to brown or reddish-brown with a sharp tip. Each flower has three stamens and three stigmas. The fruit is a capsule that is slightly longer than the tepals. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Dagger rush grows on shores and in springy areas. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in southern and central Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland and Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Dagger rush is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is rare. It is located in two regions of the province, but its range does not seem to be continuous. Local population sizes vary. No immediate threats are known for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY DAGGER RUSH | |||||||||
| * Are the capsules longer than the tepals? * Are the tepals green or brown? * Are there only 3 stamens? * Did you find it in southern or central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found dagger rush! | |||||||||
