Soft Rush is a Eurasian species introduced to North America and now widely naturalized in wetlands, ditches, and disturbed moist ground across the continent. It closely resembles Common Rush but can be distinguished by its dull, blue-green, ribbed stems with a continuous pith, versus the shiny, smooth stems with interrupted pith of Common Rush. Despite being introduced, it functions ecologically similarly to native rushes, providing wetland structure and seeds for wildlife. It is among the most widespread rush species in disturbed wetlands of the eastern United States.
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