OregonFlora: Juncus effusus vs. Juncus regelii

	Juncus effusus	Juncus regelii
	pasture rush, soft rush	Regel's rush
Habit	Plants perennial, 50–150 cm tall, cespitose; fruiting stems stout, usually 2–4.9 mm diameter above distal sheath; fresh upper stems shiny, smooth, dried stems with (12)18–26(32) weak low ridges, slender and relatively inconspicuous, visible on one side when dried, dried ridges capped with low dull cells (at 10×).	Plants perennial, 15–60 cm tall, rhizomatous.
Leaves	lacking blades; distal sheaths dull or shiny; smooth or papillose; apex symmetrical or asymmetrical; thin or thickened, winged or not.	flat; grass-like; less than 3 mm wide; auricles 0–1.6 mm.
Inflorescences	dense or open; inflorescence bracts not swollen; erect in fruit.	1–5 clusters, usually head-like; clusters usually 10–30-flowered.
Flowers	tepals 6, usually green to pale brown (dark brown-striped); stamens 3; filaments 0.4–0.7 mm; anthers 0.4–0.7 mm; styles 0–0.4 mm.	tepals 6, 4–6 × 1.1–1.6 mm, dark brown, papillose; inner usually shorter than or as long as the outer; stamens 6; filaments 0.8–1.3 mm; anthers 1–1.5 mm; style 1.1–2.8 mm.
Capsules	1.6–2.5 mm; shorter than the tepals; light to dark brown; apices obtuse to acute (notched), 1-chambered.	oblong-ovoid; shorter than the tepals, brown, obtuse or truncate, 3-chambered.
Seeds	0.4–0.5 × 0.2 mm, reticulate, apiculate.	0.8–1.4(1.7) × 0.15–0.2 mm including tails; seed body 0.3–0.5 mm; seed tails (0.2)0.3–0.6 mm, 1 or both tails longer than the seed body.

	Juncus effusus	Juncus regelii
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	The various subspecies include two introductions that often grow mingled with our native plants; the species can dominate wet pastures with heavy grazing. 9 subspecies; 3 subspecies in Oregon.	Wet meadows, swales, shores, seeps. 100–2600m. BR, BW, ECas, Lava, Casc. CA, NV, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to MT, southeast to WY. Native. This species is often confused with Juncus howellii, J. orthophyllus, and J. longistylis; the complex is sorted most reliably using seed characters; see the key.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 276 Peter Zika	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 283 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. confusus, J. conglomeratus, J. covillei, J. diffusissimus, J. drummondii, J. dudleyi, 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. 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. saximontanus, J. supiniformis, J. tenuis, J. tiehmii, J. torreyi, J. triglumis, J. trilocularis, J. uncialis
Subordinate taxa	J. effusus ssp. effusus, J. effusus ssp. pacificus, J. effusus ssp. solutus
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 regelii

pasture rush, soft rush

Regel's rush

Habit

Plants perennial, 50–150 cm tall, cespitose; fruiting stems stout, usually 2–4.9 mm diameter above distal sheath; fresh upper stems shiny, smooth, dried stems with (12)18–26(32) weak low ridges, slender and relatively inconspicuous, visible on one side when dried, dried ridges capped with low dull cells (at 10×).

Plants perennial, 15–60 cm tall, rhizomatous.

Leaves

lacking blades;

distal sheaths dull or shiny; smooth or papillose;

apex symmetrical or asymmetrical; thin or thickened, winged or not.

flat; grass-like; less than 3 mm wide;

auricles 0–1.6 mm.

Inflorescences

dense or open;

inflorescence bracts not swollen; erect in fruit.

1–5 clusters, usually head-like; clusters usually 10–30-flowered.

Flowers

tepals 6, usually green to pale brown (dark brown-striped);

stamens 3;

filaments 0.4–0.7 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.7 mm;

styles 0–0.4 mm.

tepals 6, 4–6 × 1.1–1.6 mm, dark brown, papillose; inner usually shorter than or as long as the outer;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.8–1.3 mm;

anthers 1–1.5 mm;

style 1.1–2.8 mm.

Capsules

1.6–2.5 mm; shorter than the tepals; light to dark brown;

apices obtuse to acute (notched), 1-chambered.

oblong-ovoid; shorter than the tepals, brown, obtuse or truncate, 3-chambered.

Seeds

0.4–0.5 × 0.2 mm, reticulate, apiculate.

0.8–1.4(1.7) × 0.15–0.2 mm including tails;

seed body 0.3–0.5 mm;

seed tails (0.2)0.3–0.6 mm, 1 or both tails longer than the seed body.

Juncus effusus

Juncus regelii

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

The various subspecies include two introductions that often grow mingled with our native plants; the species can dominate wet pastures with heavy grazing. 9 subspecies; 3 subspecies in Oregon.

Wet meadows, swales, shores, seeps. 100–2600m. BR, BW, ECas, Lava, Casc. CA, NV, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to MT, southeast to WY. Native.

This species is often confused with Juncus howellii, J. orthophyllus, and J. longistylis; the complex is sorted most reliably using seed characters; see the key.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 276
Peter Zika

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 283
Peter Zika

Sibling taxa