The Lake Rush Scirpus lacustris and the Soft Rush Juncus effusus are two of many types of rush (or sedge) that grow in swampy areas of the Mediterranean area.

Rushes do not have leaves. They are stalks that grow in sandy, waterside soil. They reach a meter (3 feet) or less in height. Tiny flowers form in clusters on the side of the stalk below the top.

Rushes were used for the walls and partitions of homes, as well as for mats and baskets.

There are at least two hundred species of Juncus. Translators who live near streams will have no problem finding types of rush that will be close or equivalent to the biblical types. Elsewhere, translators can use “tall plant that grows in water.” In the rhetorical context of Isaiah 58:5 (“bow down his head like a rush”), a translator can substitute a plant that suits the description of “bowing down.”

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)