Juncus effusus
| Juncus effusus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Juncus effusus (common name: soft rush)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in pots in a cold frame in early spring and keep the compost moist. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have grown sufficiently, otherwise in late spring of the following year.
Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a moist soil, bog garden or shallow water[1][2]. Prefers a heavy soil in sun or light shade[2].
Range: Throughout the northern temperate zone, including Britain, east and south Africa, Australasia.
Habitat: Wet pastures, bogs, damp woods etc, usually on acid soils[3].
Edibility: Young shoots - raw[4][5]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The pith of the stem is antiphlogistic, depurative, discutient, diuretic, febrifuge, lenitive, lithontripic, pectoral and sedative[6][7][8][9][10]. It is used in the treatment of sore throats, jaundice, oedema, acute urinary tract infection and morbid crying of babies[7].
Usage: Stems are used in basket making, thatching, weaving mats etc[11][12][13][14][15][16]. The stems can also be dried then twisted or braided into ropes for tying or binding[5].
Stems can be peeled (except for a small spine which is left to keep them upright) and soaked in oil then used as a candle[17][12][18][15].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[19]. The stems are harvested in late summer or autumn, they are split and cut into usable pieces and then soaked for 24 hours in clear water. They are then cooked for 2 hours with lye and beaten in a blender. The fibres make an off-white paper[19]. When mixed with mulberry fibres they can be used for making stencil paper[19].
The whole plant was formerly used as a strewing herb[1][13][15].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: Possibly toxic to mammals[20].
Also Known As: J. communis effusus.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Wright, Dorothy. Complete Book of Baskets and Basketry. David and Charles, 1977.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana, 1979.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.