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Pictured: Juncus drummondii — the species. This variety isn’t separately illustrated.
Juncaceae family

Drummond's Rush (var. drummondii) Juncus drummondii var. drummondii variety

Native

Drummond's Rush (var. drummondii) is a perennial grass native to Canada and the lower 48 states.

More about this plant

Juncus drummondii is a species of rush in the family Juncaceae. It is sometimes referred to by the common name Drummond's rush. It is native to western North America from northern Canada and Alaska to New Mexico, where it grows in wet coniferous forest and alpine meadows and slopes. This is a perennial herb forming narrow, erect tufts to about 40 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are basal and most have no real blades; instead they form a sheath around the stem a few centimeters long. The inflorescence is borne on the side of the stem toward the top. There is a long, cylindrical bract at the base which extends out past the flowers. Each flower is on a thin pedicel. The thick tepals are dark brown, sometimes with green striping and thin, transparent edges. There are six stamens with yellowish anthers, and red stigmas. The fruit is a capsule. Wikipedia →

Growing & care

USDA PLANTS · TRY
Conditions
Sources · Conditions
Cold hardiness (derived) — Hardiness
Hardiness
≥ zone 6 derived from its U.S. range
Size & form
Sources · Size & form
USDA PLANTS — Lifespan
Lifespan
Perennial
In the garden
Herb layer — Sits in the herb of a layered food forest or polyculture.Open guide →
derived roles
Species characteristics from USDA PLANTS (public domain) + TRY (CC BY) — general guidance, not a guarantee for your exact site. Deer "browsing" is documented palatability, not a deer-proof claim.

Wildlife & pollinators

How pollinator value is scored →
❧ Caterpillar hosts ~6 caterpillar species

Juncus supports ~6 caterpillar species.

Native butterfly & moth caterpillars are the base of the terrestrial food web — most songbirds rear their young almost entirely on them. As a host for native Lepidoptera this is a modest genus.

Keystone count (genus-level) from Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use records. Named species (a documented Nearctic sample, not exhaustive) from NHM HOSTS (CC0).
Species thumbnails re-hosted from iNaturalist — Creative Commons, credited per image (hover for credit). Click any species to see it on iNaturalist. Not exhaustive; many taxa have no openly-licensed photo yet.
Sources for this entry (12) Open & cited
[01] Scientific name & family — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[02] Growth habit & duration — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[03] Native status & distribution — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[04] Common name — USDA PLANTS (via GBIF)
[05] Invasive / introduced status — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503) — native status
[06] Description — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
[07] Ecological value — Warren II 2026 (CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[08] Conservation rank — NatureServe Explorer (CC BY)
[09] Cold hardiness (derived) — Derived from U.S. range × USDA PHZM zones
[10] Caterpillar host count — Warren II 2026 (Dryad, CC0) · Tallamy host-use counts
[11] Caterpillar species — NHM HOSTS (CC0)
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