Hard rush (wire rush)

Hard rush, the other main weedy species, is native in marshes, dune slacks, wet meadows or by water on neutral or base rich soils. It is common through most of the British Isles. The hard rush is a tuft forming species with the shoots borne on an extensive rhizome system. It flowers from June to August. The average seed number per capsule is 67 and there may be over 200,000 seeds per plant. The seeds require light for germination. The shoots, if grazed, are said to cause poisoning in sheep and cattle. Cattle that acquire a taste for it may suffer blindness and death.