| |
|
 | |
| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
|
| |
|
|
 |  |  |  |
| External Links: |
|
Juncus acutus (Sharp-Pointed Rush) |
Juncus acutus (JUNCACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
|
| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Juncus acutusL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 325 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
|
Plant Family : |
Juncaceae Juss. (The Rush Family)
9 species from the Juncaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Sharp-Pointed Rush, Sharp Rush, Spiny Rush |
Maltese name(s) : |
Simar Lixx, Simar niggież |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Hemicryptophyte ( perennial herbaceous plants with vegetative buds close to the ground ) |
Legal Protection : |
Protected by law: Schedule III of [S.L. 549.44] (Conservation requires the designation of SAC) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
March – June |
Colour of Flowers: |
Inconspicuous or Brown |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Juncus: Latin name for the rush, possibly from 'jungere', = to join or bind, because the stems were used for binding material or weaved into nets or baskets. (Latin origin)
acutus: Sharp; sharpened to a stiff point - referring to the sharp pointed tips of the rigid leaves. (Latin origin)
|
Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
|
|
Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Plant densely caespitose; intravaginal shoots present. Stems (15-)50-150 cm, usually 2-4 mm in diameter, rigid, with 2-5 leaves. Inflorescence many-flowered, usually dense, globose, rarely lax and elongated; lowest two bracts well-developed and strongly pungent, usually short. Perianth-segments equal or subequal, oblong, with a wide, scarious margin; outer obtuse or acute; inner wide, with scarious apical auricles. Stamens equalling or slightly shorter than perianth; anthers 1.5-2 mm, several times as long as filaments. Capsule 4-6 mm, much exceeding the perianth, obovoid to ovoid, with a broadly conical to obtuse apex, shortly mucronate. Seeds 80-120, 1.5-2.5 mm; appendages equal. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Maritime sands; rarely on damp or saline soils inland.
| |
Preferred habitat in Malta |
Valleys especially near coastal areas. Also grows near watercourses and damp shady sites.
| |
Chromosome number(s) |
2n=48 | |
Distributional range |
Mediterranean region and W. Europe, northwards to Ireland.
|
Distributional maps from various sources |
|
Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Ireland, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part)
|
Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
|
AE(G) Ag Al Bl Br Ca Co Cr Cy Eg Ga Gr Hb Hs IJ It Ju Li LS Lu Ma Md Rf(CS) Sa Si Sn Tcs Tn Tu(A E)
|
|
| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
|
|
Sales and Donations
|
 |
Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
|
Online Quotation (Seeds)
|
 |
Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
|
Online Purchase (Images)
|
 |
Support this ad-free website Kindly consider to support this website by giving a small donation which will help to cover some expenses needed to pay the webserver and domains, maintain the website without any adverts, upgrading the code, including more wild plants and photos, and adding further data amongst other developments. You can use the links on the right for direct donations to this website by PayPal or Revolut. Even a 5 or 10 Eur donation is appreciated. Remember this website was ad*free since its launch back in 2002 and has served as an environmental educational tool for over 20 years.
|
💙 Donate by PayPal
💳 Donate by Revolut
|
|
| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
If the information you provide is sourced from a book, journal, website, or any other publication, rather then your own information or experience, then please include the relevant reference or web address whenever possible. Your email address will be used solely for internal communication and will not be shared. We greatly appreciate reports of: taxonomic updates; species misidentifications; incorrect or outdated information, broken links, technical website issues, or any additional information specific to the plant in this webpage.
Your contributions help to improve the accuracy and quality of this website. Thank you! Fill any of the three sections (A/B/C) below: .
|
|
|
|
| | |
Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
