BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Juncus kelloggii
Kellogg's rush
| Scientific Name: | Juncus kelloggii Engelm. | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Kellogg's rush | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | JUNCKEL | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G3 (Jan 2025) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S1S2 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Endangered (May 2003) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Endangered (Jan 2005) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 1 - At Risk (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Juncus kelloggii is a small annual herb with a short fibrous root and erect shoots that are 0.4-4 cm tall. Leaves are basal, bristle-like, nearly circular in cross-section, tapered, and lacking cross-walls. Flowers are terminal, mostly single or in clusters of two on a leafless stem. The perianth segments are brown to reddish-brown, 2.5-3.5 mm long, pointed, and subequal. There are 3 stamens, and the anthers are 0.4 mm long and are shorter than the filaments. Bracts are scale-like and inconspicuous. Fruits are capsules, blunt, and as long as the perianth segments. Seeds are barrel-shaped with prominent longitudinal ribs and cross-walls, about 0.4 mm long, and lack tail-like appendages. | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | Juncus kelloggii may be confused with Juncus bufonius, another small annual rush. The latter species has an involucral bract that looks like a continuation of the stem, but J. kelloggii has only scale-like involucral bracts. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Reproduction Comments: | This annual species is generally self-pollinating. Studies have shown that the species complex to which Juncus kelloggii belongs requires cold treatment for seed germination. Germination begins as early as two days after cold treatment and continues for up to two weeks. Only a certain percentage of seeds germinate, which indicates that there may be seeds in the soil that potentially could germinate at a later time. Each capsule contains approximately 50 seeds. Dispersal may occur by waterfowl and other birds transporting seeds in their feet and feathers after walking through muddy habitat (Costanzo 2002d; COSEWIC 2003q). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Historically, the habitat of Juncus kelloggii was maintained by Aboriginal burning practices, probably on an annual basis. In the absence of burning, invading woody plants and exotic grasses and herbs may be shading out J. kelloggii, competing for resources, or preventing the recruitment of seedlings necessary for population maintenance. Winter saturation to inundation is necessary for seed germination and growth of J. kelloggii, and seasonal inundation reduces competition by other plants. Annual species of Juncus cannot compete with perennial vegetation, and therefore are usually found growing on bare ground. Presumably, J. kelloggii survives unfavourable seasons as drought tolerant seeds (COSEWIC 2003q). | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Other Unique Habitats / Garry Oak Vernal Pool / Facultative - frequent use
Stream/River / Stream/River / Facultative - occasional use |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Juncus kelloggii grows in "sandy and clayey damp soils around vernal pools, seepage areas, and low spots in fields and meadows" at elevations ranging from 0 to 800 meters (FNA 2000, Kirshner 2002). This habitat is seasonally wet with winter and spring characterized as moist to wet, drying in summer (COSEWIC 2003). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | In most of its range, Juncus kelloggii occurs in seasonally wet depressions, vernal pools, and even low spots in fields and meadows. Soils are sandy or silty, not clay. These habitats are flooded in winter and dry out in summer. Only certain kinds of species can tolerate these conditions. When water levels recede, typically much bare soil is exposed, which is rapidly colonized by a specialized suite of annual or perennial wetland vegetation. Associated species in B.C. include Anagallis minima, Centaurium muehlenbergii, Heterocodon rariflorum, Juncus bufonius, and Psilocarphus elatior. The single known habitat in B.C. is in an open area of a Garry oak meadow, and there is encroachment from the outer edges of the park by Symphoricarpos albus, Cytisus scoparius, and non-native grasses. The ephemeral moisture in this site may prevent these species from overtaking the low lying areas in which J. kelloggii occurs (COSEWIC 2003q). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
Jan: Germinating / Germinating
Feb: Vegetative / Vegetative Mar: Vegetative / Flowering Apr: Flowering / Flowering May: Flowering / Jun: Fruiting / Fruiting Jul: Fruiting / Fruiting Aug: Fruiting / Fruiting |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | No data on the phenology of Juncus kelloggii are available. The periods shown above are approximations. | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: 5 / 10 | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
| Pollen Vector: |
BIOTIC
Selfer |
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| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | B - Strong | ||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | Mostly local government | ||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | Juncus kelloggii should be sought in vernal pools elsewhere in the dry Coastal Douglas-fir zone on Vancouver Island and in the Okanagan or other dry districts of the southern interior of the province. The species is easily overlooked because of its small size and presence early in the season. | ||||||||||
| Inventory Comments: | A systematic inventory for this species' specialized habitat in the province has not been done. | ||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Provincial Economic Comments: | No commercial or traditional uses are known for Juncus kelloggii. | ||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Juncus kelloggii occurs in western North America from southwestern British Columbia, Canada (restricted to southeastern Vancouver Island) south in the United States to California and Baja California, Mexico (FNA 2000, Kirschner 2002, COSEWIC 2003, Villaseņor 2016). Range extent was estimated to be over 620,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1984 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025). | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | Y | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Soteropoulos (2025) | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 27, 2025 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Christy, J.A. and S. Hartwell | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 15, 2008 | ||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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COSEWIC 2003. COSEWIC assessment and status report on Kellogg?s rush Juncus kelloggii in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 13 pp. Online. Available: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/cosewic-assessments-status-reports/kellogg-rush.html (accessed: 2025). |
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COSEWIC. 2003q. COSEWIC assessment and status report on Kellogg's rush Juncus kelloggii in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 13 pp. |
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Costanzo, B. 2002d. Stewardship Account for Kellogg's Rush Juncus kelloggii Engelm. Prepared for the B.C. Conservation Data Centre and the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team. Sponsored by the Habitat Stewardship Program, Gov. Can., and Nat. Conservancy Can. Victoria, BC. 10 pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, eds. 2001. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 6, Monocotyledons (Acoraceae through Najadaceae). B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, and B.C. Minist. For., Victoria, BC. 361pp. |
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Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2000. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 22. Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelinidae (in part), and Zingiberidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 352 pp. |
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Kirschner, J. 2002. Species Plantarum: Flora of the World - Part 6: Juncaceae (Parts 1-8). Environment Australia, Department of Environment and Heritage, Canberra, AU. |
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Maslovat, C. 2009. Guidelines for Translocation of Plant Species at Risk in British Columbia. B.C. Minist. of Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Species Summary: Juncus kelloggii. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 4, 2026).