Needlepod Rush

Juncus scirpoides

Good

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: About 3 feet
Light: Up to 6 hours of direct sun
Soil moisture: Average to wet

Juncus scirpoides — bloom photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Bloom: Late spring
Fruiting season: Summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

County records are not available.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Juncus

Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
Bactra furfuranaRush Bactra
Bactra verutanaJavelin Moth
Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
Coleophora cratipennellaStreaked Coleophora
Globia subflavaYellow Sedge Borer, Yellowish Nonagria, Subflava Sedge Borer
Xylena nuperaRed Swordgrass Moth, American Swordgrass Moth, False Armyworm

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
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Summer

What its natural habitat tells you

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Late spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “About 3 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary

Also known as

Needle Pod Rush

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	S1
Global rank	G5
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.