Needlegrass Rush

http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=juro_002_avp.tif marches and estuaries, but it may extend 10 to 15 miles inland along river estuaries. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Habitat: Black needlerush occupies the edge of ditches and shorelines of bays, back bays and tributaries of tidal systems in coastal systems. Black needlerush grows on soils ranging from almost pure sand to fine silt loam and clay mixtures. It also, grows in highly organic soils including peat soils. It has a high tolerance to anaerobic conditions, high tolerance to CaCO3 and tolerates pH ranges from 4.0-7.0

Adaptation

Black needlerush dominated plant communities are classified into three generalized categories based on elevation and salinity influences: 1) Saline marsh, which experiences little dilution of tidal waters; 2) Brackish marsh, where tidal waters are routinely diluted, 3) Intermediate marsh, which is transitional between brackish and freshwater marsh, The number of species in association with black needlerush tends to increase as water salinity decreases, However, Spartina species are thought to be more tolerant of flooding and salinity than black needlerush, In freshwater habitats black needlerush’s growth may be restricted by organisms that feed on its rhizomes, Salt marsh plant communities are characterized by striking zonal patterns across elevation gradients, In a study conduced in Georgia, black needlerush dominated the high elevation marsh and smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) dominated the middle and low elevation marsh, Black needlerush did not occur naturally in the cordgrass zone and preformed poorly when transplanted there, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Needlegrass Rush., The poor performance of black needlerush occurred whether or not cordgrass neighbors were removed, which indicates the poor performance was caused by physical stress, In contrast, although smooth cordgrass occurred naturally at low densities in the black needlerush zone, it preformed well there only if the black needlerush neighbors were removed, The excellent performance of smooth cordgrass only where black needlerush neighbors were removed indicates that performance is limited by competition from black needlerush,

Establishment

In the wild, black needlerush establishes from seed, rhizomes or vegetative divisions from storm derived floatsum. Pistillate-flowered plants produce more seed and seed with higher viability than perfect-flowered plants. Seed germination requires light and seeds will not germinate if covered. Seeds remain viable for over a year. Seeds will germinate when submerged or floating on water. Black needlerush seedlings are found mainly in areas with no or little associated vegetation. Seedlings are seldom found in mature stands of black needlerush or other marsh species. Black needlerush maintains itself in established stands though rhizome growth. The percentage germination of seed collected in Mississippi averaged 75 for pistillate flowered plants and 60 for perfect flowered plants. Black needlerush seeds collected from the Mississippi Gulf coast exhibited high percentage germination without a cold-wet stratification. Nursery and greenhouse production are effectively accomplished with seed or vegetative divisions. Seed can be stratified in saturated soil-less potting media with high percentage of fine organics. At the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Cape May Plant Materials Center (PMC), New Jersey, seed and media were thoroughly moistened, placed in zip lock bags and stored at approximately 36 ºF for 60 days. Materials were direct seeded into greenhouse starter trays with diurnal temperatures of 80° F days and 50° F nights and 14 hour photoperiods. Seedling emergence was limited and rate of growth slow. For greenhouse forced materials, vegetative divisions use similar environmental photoperiods and diurnal temperatures listed above. Tissue culture and plant regeneration protocols have been developed for blank needlerush.

Management

The effects of fire on blank needlerush dominated marsh vary with water depth and soil moisture. On flooded sites and sites with exposed but saturated soil, fires will not harm the underground reproductive structures. When the mash soil is dry, fire can consume the rhizomes and the entire stand. In Mississippi, burning increased the biomass produced in a black needlerush dominated marsh, but black needlerush recovered more slowly than Spartina species. Three years after burning black needlerush biomass was less than before burning. In Maryland, the biomass and stem densities of several marsh species increased after burning, but burning did not change either the biomass or stem density of black needlerush. In Florida, black needlerush biomass was 47% less one year after burning. In another Florida study, winter burning increased the frequency of common three-square (Schoenoplectus pungens var. pungens) when it occurred as a competing subdominant with black needlerush. But, in nearly pure stands of black needlerush burning did not change the species composition. In general, the effect of burning on black needlerush was either a decrease in biomass and frequency or no change in these parameters.

Pests and Potential Problems

In the mid-Atlantic, several major nursery pests may present themselves and required IPM strategies. These pests can include pythium, brown patch, fungus gnats and algae. This is based upon professional experiences at the NRCS Cape May PMC, New Jersey and diagnosis of pests by Rutgers University Turf Grass Department staff. Consult your local university extension service agent for pesticide recommendations. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) No improved varieties are known, but numerous wetland nurseries carry local or regional ecotypes. Contact your local Natural Resources

Conservation

Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under “United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

References

Britton, L. and A. Brown, 1970. An illustrated flora of the northern United States and Canada. Dover Press. Brown, M.L. and R.G. Brown. 1984. Herbaceous plants of Maryland. Port City Press. Eleuterius, L.N. 1975. The life history of the salt marsh rush, Juncus roemerianusin. Bull. Torrey Pines Bot. Club. 102: 135-140. Eleuterius, L.N. 1976. The distribution of Juncus roemerianusin the salt marshes of North America. Chesapeake Science 17: 289-292. Eleuterius, L.N.1976. Vegetative morphology and anatomy of the salt marsh rush, Juncus roemerianusin. Gulf Research Reports 5: 1-10. Eleuterius, L.N. 1984. Autecology of the black needlerush Juncus roemerianusin. Gulf Research Reports 7: 27-34. Fell, J.W. and I.L. Hunter. 1979. Fungi associated with the decomposition of the black rush Juncus roemerianus in south Florida. Mycologia 71: 323-342. Fernald, M.L. 1950. Grays manual of botany. 8th Edition. American Book Co. Flores, C. and D. Bonds. Evaluation of vegetative response to fire exclusion and prescribe burning on Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and

Fishing

Bay Wildlife Management Area. Accessed: 070215. <http://www.fws.gov/blackwater/fire_research.pdf> Gleason, H.A and A.Cronquist. 1963. Manual of vascular plants of the United States and adjacent Canada. Van Norstrand Reinhold Co. Hill, D.T., W.E. Payne, J.W. Jones and S.R. Kown. 1997. Ammonia effects on the biomass production of five constructed wetland plant species. Bioresource Technology 62: 109-133. Hackney, C.T. and A.A. De LaCruz. 1981. Effects of fire on two brackish marsh communities” management implications. Wetlands 1: 75-86. Lin, Q, & I.A. Mendelssohn. 2006. Determination of diesel oil tolerance of coastal dominant marsh plants for restoration and remediation of the oil-impacted habitats. <http://www.osradp.lsu.edu/maySymp06/MaySymp06_Lin.pdf> Meyrs, K.E. 1956. Mangement of needlerush marsh at the Chassahowitzka Refuge. Proc. Annual Conference Southeast Assoc. Game and Fish Comm. 9: 175-177. Odum, W.E., J.C. Zieman and E.J. Heald. 1973. Importance of various plant detritus to estuaries. Pp. 91-114. In: Proceedings of the Costal Marsh and Estuary Management Symposium. Ed. R.H. Chabrech, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge. Pennings, S.C., M. Grant and M.D. Bertness. 2005. Plant zonation in low-latitude salt marshes: disentangling the roles of flooding, salinity and competition. Journal of Ecology 93: 159-167. Stout, J.P. 1984. The ecology of irregularly flooded salt marches of the Northeaster Gulf of Mexico; a community profile. Biol. Rep. 85. U.S. Dept. of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service. UDSA-Forest Service. Fire effect information system <http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/>. Accessed: 070215. Read about Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA, NRCS. 2007. The PLANTS database (http://plants.usda.gov, 31 January 2007). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. Wang, J., D.M. Seliskar and J.L. Gallagher. 2005. Tissue culture and plant rgeneration of the sast marsh monocots Juncus roemerianus and Juncus gerardi. <http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16953946>.

Fact Sheet

Alternate Names

Black needlerush, black grass, Roemer’s rush.

Uses

Dense stands of black needlerush form deep fibrous root systems, which provide very good shoreline protection, filter suspended solids, uptake nutrients, and facilitate substrate oxidation. With its range of salinity tolerances, black needlerush is used in tidal estuary restoration along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Seed and vegetative parts of black needlerush are utilized by waterfowl, muskrats and non-game birds.

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Description

Juncus roemerianus is a moderate growing, bunch forming, grass-like perennial. The plant is course and rigid, 0.5-1.5 m tall. The leaves are terete, stiff and pungent. The inflorescence is lateral with an involucral bract that is terete and erect. The perianth is usually brownish, 3-3.5 mm long with sepals longer and is more pointed than petals. Seeds are dark and .0.6 mm long. Black needlerush flowers from May to October; the seed matures from July to November. It is found growing in brackish marshes in dense zonal stands.

Distribution and Adaptation

Adaptation

Adaptation

Black needlerush is one of the dominate species in the marshes on the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It dominates 20.7% of the marsh in the south Atlantic states and 7.3% of Gulf coast marshes. But, it covers more marsh area on the Gulf coast than the Atlantic coast. Its distribution is continuous from Maryland to Florida and westward to southwestern Texas. Black needlerush occupies the edge of ditches and shorelines of bays, back bays and tributaries of tidal systems in coastal systems. It is well adapted to fine and medium textured soils, has a high tolerance to anaerobic conditions, high tolerance to calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and tolerates pH ranges from 4.0-7.0 William B. Skaradek USDA NRCS Cape May Plant Materials Center It is usually restricted to coastal marshes and estuaries, but it may extend 10 to 15 miles inland along river estuaries. For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.

Establishment

In the wild, black needlerush establishes from seed, rhizomes or vegetative divisions from storm derived floatsum, Researchers have shown that black needlerush seeds from the Mississippi Gulf coast require light for germination, This seed remains viable for one year and will germinate at a high percentage any time after maturity, and without a cold wet stratification, Nursery and greenhouse production are effectively accomplished with seed or vegetative divisions, Divisions should include several good roots, a node and three to five green stems, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Needlegrass Rush., Seed can also be stratified in saturated soil-less potting media with high percentage of fine organics, Seed and media can be thoroughly moistened by placing the mix into zip lock bags and stored at approximately 36°F, for 60 days, Materials can be direct seeded into greenhouse starter trays with diurnal temperatures of 80°F days and 50°F nights and 14 hour photoperiods, Seedling emergence was limited and rate of growth slow, For greenhouse forced vegetative divisions use similar environmental photo-periods and diurnal temperatures listed above, Consult your local university extension service agent for pesticide recommendations,

Plant Traits

Growth Requirements

Temperature, Minimum (°F)	17
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	High
CaCO3 Tolerance	High
Cold Stratification Required	No
Drought Tolerance	None
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	Medium
Frost Free Days, Minimum	200
Hedge Tolerance	None
Moisture Use	High
pH, Maximum	7.0
pH, Minimum	4.0
Planting Density per Acre, Maxim	11000
Planting Density per Acre, Minim	3450
Precipitation, Maximum	60
Precipitation, Minimum	40
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	14
Salinity Tolerance	High
Shade Tolerance	Intolerant

Morphology/Physiology

After Harvest Regrowth Rate	Slow
Toxicity	None
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Active Growth Period	Spring
Bloat	None
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Green
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Dark Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Moderate
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Nitrogen Fixation	None
Low Growing Grass	No
Lifespan	Long
Leaf Retention	No
Known Allelopath	No
Height, Mature (feet)	4.9
Growth Rate	Moderate
Growth Form	Bunch
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Foliage Texture	Coarse

Reproduction

Vegetative Spread Rate	None
Small Grain	No
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Seed Spread Rate	Rapid
Propagated by Tubers	No
Propagated by Sprigs	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Container	No
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Bare Root	No
Fruit/Seed Persistence	Yes
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Bloom Period	Spring
Propagated by Corm	No

Suitability/Use

Veneer Product	No
Pulpwood Product	No
Post Product	No
Palatable Human	No
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Nursery Stock Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Lumber Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No

Needlegrass Rush