Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tender Perennial
Sedge or Rush
Origin
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
World/Pandemic, North America, Europe, Russia/Siberia, Africa, Asia
Types
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
austrocalifornicus , effusus , laxus , pacificus , solutus
Number of Varieties
4805
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
All sorts of environments, Banks, ditches, marshes, Shores of rivers or lakes
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99996-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
9-6
Sunset Zone
-
H1, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
-
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.00 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
15.00 cm61.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green, Tan, Sandy Brown
Shape
Leaf Shape
Linear
Long hair-like leaves
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
-
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
-
Fast
Type of Soil
-
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
-
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
-
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
-
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Divison, reseeds
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
Does not require regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
-
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
-
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
-
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
-
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Does not require fertilizer once established
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
-
Plant Tolerance
Variety of soil types
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
-
Fine
Foliage Sheen
-
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Bumblebees, Flying insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Informal Hedge, Woodland margins
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
-
-
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
woven into the covering of tatami mats
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
-
Bog Garden, Container, Mixed Border, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
CRYPTANTHUS
JUNCUS effusus
Common Name
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
Soft Rush
In Hindi
Earth Star
Soft Rush
In German
Erdstern
Soft Rush
In French
Terre étoile
Soft Rush
In Spanish
estrella de la tierra
Soft Rush
In Greek
γη αστεριών
Soft Rush
In Portuguese
Estrela da terra
Soft Rush
In Polish
Gwiazda ziemi
Soft Rush
In Latin
terra, stella
Soft Rush
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Bromeliales
Poales
Family
Bromeliaceae
Juncaceae
Genus
Cryptanthus
Juncus
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Bromelioideae
-
Number of Species
50400
1
27800
👆🏻