BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Juncus castaneus | Chestnut Rush 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Chestnut rush is a perennial which grows 3 to 12 inches (7-30 cm) tall
and has long slender rhizomes or stolons.  The stems arise singly or in
pairs.  The leaves are 1 to 4 inches (3-10 cm) long.  Each plant has one
to three heads; each head has 3 to 12 flowers.  The capsule is dark
brown, and the strongly tailed seeds are 2.5 to 4 millimeters long
[4,11,12].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Hemicryptophyte
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Chestnut rush reproduces both sexually and vegetatively [2].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Chestnut rush is a montane-arctic species.  It grows on wet sites in
tundra, mountains, and alpine communities, on wet, mossy soil near
streams and seeps, and on open rocky slopes.  Chestnut rush was
identified as a component of a New Mexico alpine grassland community
dominated by sedges (Carex spp.) [9].  Associates include other rushes
(Juncus spp.), sedges, alpine fescue (Festuca ovina var.  brachyphylla),
bluegrasses (Poa spp.), and tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa).
Chestnut rush was reported at elevations of 5,550 to 6,975 feet
(1,790-2,250 m) in Montana, 11,800 feet in Utah, 7,000 to 12,900 feet
(2,135-3,930 m) in Colorado, and 10,600 to 10,700 feet (3,230-3,260 m)
in Wyoming [2,4,6,9,12].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
In Montana, chestnut rush has mature fruit in July and August [8].

Related categories for Species: Juncus castaneus | Chestnut Rush