Frog Rush - Juncus ranarius

Frog Rush is a small rush which usually forms prostrate rosettes. Single stems grow up to about 5 cm or so.  Inner tepals rounded to emarginate, with mucronate tips, capsule longer than or same length as tepals.  (reference: Stace 4th edition).

Plants for closer examination may be picked out in the field by the distinctive light brown colour and small clusters of fruits, rather than all flowers spaced out, as in Toad Rush.

Toad Rush, Juncus bufonius.

This is unlikely to be verified from a field photo, and the County Recorder may wish to see a specimen.  To confirm identity, details of tepal and capsule are needed; refer to Stace 4th edition for more information.

Lake margins, saline marshes, often on bare ground.

Flowering June to October.

Annual.

Formerly mainly coastal in Britain but now seems to be spreading inland.

Recently separated from Juncus bufonius and therefore not recorded in the past in Leicestershire and Rutland; status unknown.

Although it is a rarely recorded native in VC55, It is not on the current RPR (Hall & Woodward, 2022), but is listed as 'data deficient' because of the recent taxonomic split.