Any of various similar, usually aquatic plants. 2.The stem of one of these plants, used in making baskets, mats, and chair seats. Rush Rush, common name for a small family of flowering plants with inconspicuous flowers, and for its representative genus. None of the approximately 325 members of the family produce edible parts, but some are an important source of fibers. Rushes are worldwide in distribution but are most abundant in moist, cool habitats.
Rushes are mostly herbaceous, but one, the palmiet, native to South Africa, is a woody shrub.
The flowers are adapted to wind pollination and thus have their petals and sepals reduced to inconspicuous scalelike structures. The rush genus is the largest in the family, with about 225 species, and its stems produce many useful fibers. One soft-fibered species, the Japanese mat rush is used in weaving Japanese floor mats called tatami, and it is widely cultivated in Japan for this purpose. This and similar species are also the source of split rushes for chair caning and basket weaving. The representative genus is Juncus.