Juncaceae
Spiny rush
Juncus acutus
- Family
- Juncaceae
- Genus
- Juncus
Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants
Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free
Common names
By language (22)
- Arabic
- أسل مدبب, أسل حاد, اسل, الأَسَلُ الشَّائِكُ, السمار, بردي, حشيشة السمار, سمار
- Armenian
- Կնյուն սուր
- arz
- اسل مدبب
- Azerbaijani
- İti cığ
- Bulgarian
- Остра дзука
- Catalan
- Jonc Piquant
- Czech
- Sítina hrotolistá
- English
- Spiny rush
- Finnish
- Pistinvihvilä
- French
- Jonc Piquant
- German
- Stechende Binse, Jonc Piquant
- Hebrew
- סמר חד
- Irish
- Luachair bhiorach
- kab
- Talgit
- Lithuanian
- Jonc Piquant
- Macedonian
- Остра ситка
- Persian
- سمار
- Russian
- Ситник острый
- Slovenian
- Ostro ločje
- Spanish
- Hunco, Junco con borla, Junco con flueque, Junco espinoso, Junco silvestre, Junquilla
- Swedish
- Jonc Piquant
- Welsh
- Brwynen lem brwyn llym, Brwynen lem
Synonyms
- Juncus acutus unranked megalocarpus Asch. & Graebn.
- Juncus acutus var. conglobatus Trautv.
- Juncus acutus var. conglomeratus Buchenau
- Juncus maritimus subsp. acutus (L.) Douin
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Graminoid
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: native
Photos
Photo: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: ficus carica, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Ruppia2000, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: alfonsoesca, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Naturgrama, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: isa sp, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Ewen Cameron, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: flora57, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: gilles kerdoncuff, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
More in Juncus
- Common rushJuncus effususJuncaceae
- Toad rushJuncus bufoniusJuncaceae
- Compact rushJuncus conglomeratusJuncaceae
- Jointed rushJuncus articulatusJuncaceae
- Saltmarsh rushJuncus gerardiJuncaceae
- Baltic rushJuncus balticusJuncaceae
- Poverty rushJuncus tenuisJuncaceae
- Leafybract dwarf rushJuncus capitatusJuncaceae
- Mosquito rushJuncus squarrosusJuncaceae
- Roundfruit rushJuncus compressusJuncaceae
- European meadow rushJuncus inflexusJuncaceae
- Sea rushJuncus maritimusJuncaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.