Grass or grass-like · Juncaceae

Needlepod rush

Juncus scirpoides

Needlepod rush is recorded as native to 26 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 451 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Needlepod rush at a glance

Native in: 451 counties, across 26 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 7a PLANTS minimum temperature −3°F
Mature height: 3 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Tolerates shade High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 7a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −3°F; zone 7a winters bottom out at 0°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 451 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alabama 19 counties
Arkansas 7 counties
Delaware 2 counties
District of Columbia 1 county
Florida 54 counties
Georgia 33 counties
Illinois 3 counties
Indiana 5 counties
Kansas 3 counties
Kentucky 10 counties
Louisiana 35 counties
Maryland 1 county
Michigan 3 counties
Mississippi 18 counties
Missouri 7 counties
Nebraska 4 counties
New Jersey 9 counties
New York 8 counties
North Carolina 60 counties
Oklahoma 7 counties
Pennsylvania 6 counties
South Carolina 34 counties
Tennessee 22 counties
Texas 35 counties
Virginia 61 counties
West Virginia 4 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 3 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Rhizomatous
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Tolerant (tolerates shade)
Moisture use: High water use
Drought tolerance: None
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: High
Precipitation range: 36 to 55 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse and medium
pH range: 5.6 to 6.8
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: Medium
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 10 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −3°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 7a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 145
Fire tolerance: High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Green
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Late Spring
Foliage color: Green
Showy in fall: No
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Brown

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Juncaceae
PLANTS symbol: JUSC

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Juncus scirpoides (PLANTS symbol JUSC).
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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