Bog rush

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Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © J.G. Sturm 1796

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © C.Laroque

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © Flora Siberia

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau © T.Taylor

Identification

Fibre type	Grass
Average fibre lenght	2mm (1-3mm)
Average fibre width	70µm (50-90µm)
Fibre ends	Square.
Striations, cross-markings, flexion creases
Associated cells	Small taxodiods and cupressoid pits are present in mature fibres.
Special features	Fibres are wide, thin walled.
Herzberg staining	Pink/Purple
Graff 'C' staining	Pink/Purple

Botanical classification

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau

Order:

Poales

Family:

Juncaceae

Synonyms:

Juncus effusus var. solutus Fern. & Wiegand

Plant growing area

Widespread in temperate and mountainous tropical regions.

Bhutan, China (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Korea, India (Sikkim), Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.

Grows at forest margins, wet grasslands, morasses, lakes, river banks, fields and rice fields at an altitude from 200 to 3400 m.

Use area in the manufacture of paper

China, Korea.

Plant cultivation and use

Juncus effusus is a perennial plant which grows in dense clumps that can reach 1.5 m in height by 0.5 m in diameter. The stems are straight and smooth, and contain a spongy pith. Roots are rhizomes allowing it to colonize the edges of water. Flowering occurs in summer.

The plant adapts to various types of soils and can grow in heavy clay soils; it needs moist soils and can grow in water and develop in partial shade.

Its leaves are edible and the stem pith is anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and febrifuge.
Stems are used in basketry, mats making and thatching; the straw, called igusa in Japan, is commonly used to make tatami mats, especially in Kumamoto Prefecture. Dried stems can be twisted into ropes. Pith is used as a wick for oil lamps.

The stems are used to produce paper fiber giving an off-white paper. They are used in combination with the fibers of the bark of mulberry trees for making stencil paper.

Korea:

Used in combination with the bark of paper mulberry during the Joseon period (1392-1910) as substitute material.

Preparation process for making paper

Korea:

The stems are harvested in late summer or autumn, they are cut into pieces and then soaked for 24 hours in clear water. They are then cooked for 2 hours with lye and beaten in a blender.

Vernacular names

Chinese

Deng xin cao	灯心草

Japanese

Igusa	イグサ

Japanese

Kohige	こひげ

Korean

Golpul	골풀

French

Jonc spiralé

English

Bog rush
Rush
Soft rush

Paper names

In Asia and particularly in China, Korea and Japan, the papers are intended for a wide range of use: Papers for calligraphy and art, Papers for ceremonies, Paper as a medium of exchange, money paper, Papers for making clothes, wall hangings and bedding, Papers for architecture, interior design, Papers for crafts of various kinds, for domestic purposes and leisure. The names assigned to the paper refers to different notions: The material used, The place of production, The method of production, Appearance, Dimensions, Use, The name of an artist or a studio etc.

Japan:

Suffixes kami, gami, shi = papier.

Au Japon les papiers de kozo sont les plus nombreux.

Papers

Japan

Wara asa gasenshi

Used part of the plant:

Stem

Use for paper making:

Fiber

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Bog rush

Juncus effusus var. decipiens Buchenau

Papers