JUNCALES

order of monocotyledonous flowering plants comprising the families Juncaceae and Thurniaceae, with 10 genera of grasslike plants found in wet, cold-temperate habitats. The flowers are usually small, greenish, and bisexual and are crowded into dense terminal or lateral clusters. They are pollinated by the wind. The plants grow from a horizontal or upright rootstock that annually produces one leafy shoot. The family Juncaceae includes the rushes (Juncus, 300 species) and woodrushes (Luzula, 80 species). Six other genera (Prionium, Oxychloe, Rostkovia, Marsippospermum, Andesia, and Distichia), representing about 16 species, are restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. The family Thurniaceae has only the genus Thurnia, with three species distributed in Venezuela and Guyana. The order is considered to be evolutionarily derived from ancestors of the lily order (Liliales). Rushes are used in many parts of the world for weaving chair seats, mats, baskets, and hats. The pith has been used for lamp and candle wicks. Some species are grazed or cut for hay. See also rush.