OregonFlora: Juncus brevicaudatus vs. Juncus drummondii

	Juncus brevicaudatus	Juncus drummondii
	short-tailed rush	Drummond's rush, threeflower rush
Habit	Plants perennial, 14–55 cm tall, cespitose.	Plants perennial, 10–40 cm tall, cespitose.
Leaves	basal and cauline; round; hollow, septate, 1–2 mm wide; auricles 0.5–3 mm.	lacking blades; the blades reduced to vestigial awns; distal sheaths 2–6 cm, light brown.
Inflorescences	2–35 clusters; clusters mostly 2–5-flowered, elliptic to narrowly obconic, lacking bulblets.	a loose cluster of 1–3(5) flowers; inflorescence bracts erect and stem-like, sometimes longer than inflorescence.
Flowers	tepals 6, green, red; pale or medium brown; tips acuminate; stamens 3; filaments 0.6–0.8 mm; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm; styles 0.1–0.3 mm.	tepals 6, brown to dark brown; stamens 6; filaments 0.5–1.3 mm; anthers 1–1.6 mm; styles 0.1–0.25 mm.
Capsules	1–1.5 mm longer than the tepals, dark brown, 1-chambered.	4.5–8 mm; longer than or equaling the tepals, brown to dark brown; apices notched, 3-chambered.
Seeds	narrowly ellipsoid to linear, 0.8–1.1 × 0.2–0.3 mm; body 0.5–0.6 mm; tails 0.2– 0.4 mm, 0.5–1 times as long as seed body.	(0.7)1.2–2.3 × 0.2–0.3 mm; bodies 0.5–0.6 mm, striate; tails prominent, 0.4–0.9 mm.
2n	=80.

	Juncus brevicaudatus	Juncus drummondii
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Wet acidic sandy banks, shores, mossy ditches, cranberry farms. 0–50 m. Est. ID, WA; northeastern US, Great Lakes area, southern Canada; AZ, CO, WY. Exotic. This species is native to northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, and eastern North America, but it is introduced in Oregon.	Montane, subalpine, and alpine meadows, damp slopes, swales, gravel bars, springs, pumice. 700–2800 m. BR, BW, Casc. CA, NV, ID, WA; north to AK, southeast to NM. Native. This species sometimes grows with the similar J. parryi, which has elongate leaf blades resembling stems, and often favors drier habitats.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 271 Peter Zika	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 275 Peter Zika
Sibling taxa	J. acuminatus, J. anthelatus, J. articulatus, J. balticus, J. bolanderi, J. breweri, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. canadensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. conglomeratus, J. covillei, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. ensifolius, J. ensifolius x Juncus nevadensis, J. exiguus, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. gerardi, J. hemiendytus, J. hesperius, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. laccatus, J. lescurii, J. longistylis, J. marginatus, J. mertensianus, J. mexicanus, J. nevadensis, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, J. planifolius, J. ranarius, J. regelii, J. saximontanus, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. triglumis, J. trilocularis, J. uncialis	J. acuminatus, J. anthelatus, J. articulatus, J. balticus, J. bolanderi, J. brevicaudatus, J. breweri, J. bryoides, J. bufonius, J. bulbosus, J. canadensis, J. capillaris, J. capitatus, J. compressus, J. confusus, J. conglomeratus, J. covillei, J. diffusissimus, J. dudleyi, J. effusus, J. ensifolius, J. ensifolius x Juncus nevadensis, J. exiguus, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. gerardi, J. hemiendytus, J. hesperius, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, J. laccatus, J. lescurii, J. longistylis, J. marginatus, J. mertensianus, J. mexicanus, J. nevadensis, J. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, J. planifolius, J. ranarius, J. regelii, J. saximontanus, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. triglumis, J. trilocularis, J. uncialis
Synonyms		Juncus drummondii var. drummondii, Juncus drummondii var. subtriflorus
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Juncus brevicaudatus

Juncus drummondii

short-tailed rush

Drummond's rush, threeflower rush

Habit

Plants perennial, 14–55 cm tall, cespitose.

Plants perennial, 10–40 cm tall, cespitose.

Leaves

basal and cauline; round; hollow, septate, 1–2 mm wide;

auricles 0.5–3 mm.

lacking blades; the blades reduced to vestigial awns;

distal sheaths 2–6 cm, light brown.

Inflorescences

2–35 clusters; clusters mostly 2–5-flowered, elliptic to narrowly obconic, lacking bulblets.

a loose cluster of 1–3(5) flowers;

inflorescence bracts erect and stem-like, sometimes longer than inflorescence.

Flowers

tepals 6, green, red; pale or medium brown;

tips acuminate;

stamens 3;

filaments 0.6–0.8 mm;

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm.

tepals 6, brown to dark brown;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.5–1.3 mm;

anthers 1–1.6 mm;

styles 0.1–0.25 mm.

Capsules

1–1.5 mm longer than the tepals, dark brown, 1-chambered.

4.5–8 mm; longer than or equaling the tepals, brown to dark brown;

apices notched, 3-chambered.

Seeds

narrowly ellipsoid to linear, 0.8–1.1 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

body 0.5–0.6 mm; tails 0.2– 0.4 mm, 0.5–1 times as long as seed body.

(0.7)1.2–2.3 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

bodies 0.5–0.6 mm, striate; tails prominent, 0.4–0.9 mm.

=80.

Juncus brevicaudatus

Juncus drummondii

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Wet acidic sandy banks, shores, mossy ditches, cranberry farms. 0–50 m. Est. ID, WA; northeastern US, Great Lakes area, southern Canada; AZ, CO, WY. Exotic.

This species is native to northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, and eastern North America, but it is introduced in Oregon.

Montane, subalpine, and alpine meadows, damp slopes, swales, gravel bars, springs, pumice. 700–2800 m. BR, BW, Casc. CA, NV, ID, WA; north to AK, southeast to NM. Native.

This species sometimes grows with the similar J. parryi, which has elongate leaf blades resembling stems, and often favors drier habitats.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 271
Peter Zika

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 275
Peter Zika

Sibling taxa