New Jersey rush (Juncus caesariensis) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 1

Assessment Summary – May 2004

Common name: New Jersey rush

Scientific name: Juncus caesariensis

Status: Special Concern

Reason for designation: The species is a globally rare plant found along the periphery of 25 bogs and fens in a geographically restricted area of southeastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The Canadian population is estimated at 5,000-10,000 plants that comprise a large proportion of the global population. The Canadian plants are widely disjunct from sites along the U.S. Atlantic seaboard where the species is also quite rare. It is sensitive to activities that alter the hydrological regime of its habitat such as logging, road construction and in-filling.

Occurrence: Nova Scotia

Status history: Designated Special Concern in April 1992 and May 2004. Last assessment based on an update status report.