Flora of New Zealand Series

Sea Rush

Clumps densely or loosely tufted; rhizome stout, woody, long or short. Stems 30-100- (120) cm × 1.5-3 mm, rigid, often distant along rhizome. Leaves 1-2, terete like stems but shorter. Inflorescence open, irregularly branched, flowers in small clusters. Stamens usually 3 perfect and 3 aborted. Capsule c. 3 mm long, ± = tepals, dark brown, often almost black. Seeds without tails or very shortly tailed.

N., S. Southwards to Cook River on the west and Timaru on the east; also at Dunedin. Ch. In brackish water and coastal sandy soil. Inland in N. at Lake Rotorua, and on Waikato River near Orakeikorako, in S. at Mesopotamia, Rangitata River. (Australia)

Usually a smaller and less robust plant than J. acutus, clumps less dense and stems more straggly, heads more open, capsules dark brown to black and seeds short-tailed or tailless.

A nuisance in conversion of coastal land for agricultural purposes, never grazed; the large root masses and clumps hinder cultivation.