OregonFlora: Juncus confusus vs. Juncus bolanderi

	Juncus confusus	Juncus bolanderi
	Colorado rush	Bolander's rush
Habit	Plants perennial, 20–50 cm tall, cespitose, stems with 0–5 strong ridges visible on one side.	Plants perennial, 25–85 cm tall, rhizomatous.
Leaves	thin and wiry; blade flat and slightly inrolled; auricles soft and thin distally, 0.3–0.8 mm; dull, rounded or acute; dirty white to translucent.	round; hollow, septate; auricles 2–4 mm.
Inflorescences	cymes, 0.5–2.5 cm, usually dense and small.	dense; clusters 1–3(5), 40–70-flowered.
Flowers	tepals 6, with broad medium brown stripes flanking a green midvein; tepal tips acuminate; erect; equal or subequal; stamens 6; filaments 0.7–1.1 mm; anthers 0.5–0.7 mm; styles 0.05–0.2 mm.	tepals 6, brown to dark brown or blackish; stamens 3; filaments 1–1.5 mm; anthers 0.4–0.7 mm; styles 0.1–0.15 mm.
Capsules	2.5–3.5 mm; shorter than or equaling tepals, brown to dark brown; apex notched, crested, 3-chambered.	shorter than or equaling tepals, dark brown, 1-chambered.
Seeds	0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm, apiculate, longitudinally ridged.	ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.25 mm, apiculate.
2n	=80.

	Juncus confusus	Juncus bolanderi
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Seasonally moist or wet meadows, springs, swales, shores, ditches. 800–2700 m. BR, BW, ECas, Owy, Sisk. CA, NV, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, east to SD, southeast to NM. Native. This species is often confused with Juncus occidentalis, which shares the brown-striped tepals and crested capsules but does not grow east of the Cascades. Where they overlap in southwestern Oregon and California, they are separable by the internal structure of the capsules: three-chambered in J. confusus and one-chambered in J. occidentalis.	Marshes, wet meadows, shores. 0–1300 m. Casc, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia. Native.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 274 Peter Zika	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 271 Peter Zika
Sibling taxa	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. 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. 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. 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
Web links	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	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 bolanderi

Colorado rush

Bolander's rush

Habit

Plants perennial, 20–50 cm tall, cespitose, stems with 0–5 strong ridges visible on one side.

Plants perennial, 25–85 cm tall, rhizomatous.

Leaves

thin and wiry;

blade flat and slightly inrolled;

auricles soft and thin distally, 0.3–0.8 mm; dull, rounded or acute; dirty white to translucent.

round; hollow, septate;

auricles 2–4 mm.

Inflorescences

cymes, 0.5–2.5 cm, usually dense and small.

dense; clusters 1–3(5), 40–70-flowered.

Flowers

tepals 6, with broad medium brown stripes flanking a green midvein;

tepal tips acuminate; erect; equal or subequal;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.7–1.1 mm;

anthers 0.5–0.7 mm;

styles 0.05–0.2 mm.

tepals 6, brown to dark brown or blackish;

stamens 3;

filaments 1–1.5 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.7 mm;

styles 0.1–0.15 mm.

Capsules

2.5–3.5 mm; shorter than or equaling tepals, brown to dark brown;

apex notched, crested, 3-chambered.

shorter than or equaling tepals, dark brown, 1-chambered.

Seeds

0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm, apiculate, longitudinally ridged.

ellipsoid to ovoid, 0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.25 mm, apiculate.

=80.

Juncus bolanderi

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Seasonally moist or wet meadows, springs, swales, shores, ditches. 800–2700 m. BR, BW, ECas, Owy, Sisk. CA, NV, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, east to SD, southeast to NM. Native.

This species is often confused with Juncus occidentalis, which shares the brown-striped tepals and crested capsules but does not grow east of the Cascades. Where they overlap in southwestern Oregon and California, they are separable by the internal structure of the capsules: three-chambered in J. confusus and one-chambered in J. occidentalis.

Marshes, wet meadows, shores. 0–1300 m. Casc, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia. Native.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 274
Peter Zika

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 271
Peter Zika

Sibling taxa