Leathery Rush

Juncus coriaceus

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in stream and pond margins, swamps, flatwoods depressions, roadside ditches. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

46

Good

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height: Up to about 3 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Moist to wet

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At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: June to September

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 39 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Juncus

Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
Bactra furfuranaRush Bactra
Bactra verutanaJavelin Moth
Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
Coleophora cratipennellaStreaked Coleophora
Thopeutis forbesellus

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

2BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Juncus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

5BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Juncus

Alectoris chukarChukar
Anas acutaNorthern Pintail
Coturnicops noveboracensisYellow Rail
Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Juncaceae
Flower color: Green or brown

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green or brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 3 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Conservation status

Louisiana rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
LA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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