OregonFlora: Juncus hesperius vs. Juncus covillei

	Juncus hesperius	Juncus covillei
	bog rush, coast rush	Coville's rush
Habit	Plants perennial, 30–100 cm tall, cespitose, fresh stems slightly dull, slightly ridged, slender, usually 0.8–1.9 mm diameter above distal sheath, with 5–14(18) strong ridges visible when dried.	Plants perennial, 2–25 cm tall, rhizomatous.
Leaves	lacking blades; distal sheaths 4–20 cm, green (fresh) to pale or medium brown (dried); dull to slightly shiny, papillose; apex usually strongly asymmetrical on fruiting stems; thin, with broad membranous wings, flattened and lacking raised rims.	flat; grass-like, blue-green; auricles 0–1.5 mm.
Inflorescences	a loose to dense cluster; branches usually visible; inflorescence bracts not swollen; erect.	2–6 clusters; clusters 3–7-flowered.
Flowers	tepals 6, dark brown-striped; stamens 3; filaments 0.5–0.6 mm; anthers 0.5–0.8 mm; styles 0.05–0.1 mm.	tepals 6, usually 2–3.6 mm, brown to dark brown; stamens 6; filaments 0.5–1 mm; anthers 0.8–1.4 mm; styles 0.8–1 mm.
Capsules	2–2.7 mm; shorter than the tepals, brown to dark brown; apex acute to notched or obtuse, 1-chambered.	notched; longer than or equaling tepals; light to dark brown, 3-chambered.
Seeds	0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.25 mm, reticulate, apiculate.	0.3–0.4 × 0.2– 0.25 mm; plump, apiculate, reticulate.
2n		=36, 38.

	Juncus hesperius	Juncus covillei
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Shores, springs, swales, peatlands, wet pastures, cranberry farms, ditches. 0–800m. CR, Est, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia. Native. This species rarely hybridizes with J. laccatus. Montane J. exiguus has a symmetrical sheath apex and smooth sheath, differing from the more coastal J. hesperius, which has an asymmetrical sheath apex and papillose sheaths.	Shores, wet meadows, peatlands, ditches. 0–1800 m. BW, Casc, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; north to AK. Native. Juncus covillei is similar to J. falcatus, which is restricted to coastal sandy habitats and has larger clusters that are more spherical or head-like. Reports of this species from northwestern Asia are J. prominens.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 278 Peter Zika	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 274 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. effusus, J. ensifolius, J. ensifolius x Juncus nevadensis, J. exiguus, J. falcatus, J. filiformis, J. gerardi, J. hemiendytus, 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. 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
Synonyms		Juncus covillei var. covillei, Juncus covillei var. obtusatus, Juncus obtusatus
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) 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 covillei

bog rush, coast rush

Coville's rush

Habit

Plants perennial, 30–100 cm tall, cespitose, fresh stems slightly dull, slightly ridged, slender, usually 0.8–1.9 mm diameter above distal sheath, with 5–14(18) strong ridges visible when dried.

Plants perennial, 2–25 cm tall, rhizomatous.

Leaves

lacking blades;

distal sheaths 4–20 cm, green (fresh) to pale or medium brown (dried); dull to slightly shiny, papillose;

apex usually strongly asymmetrical on fruiting stems; thin, with broad membranous wings, flattened and lacking raised rims.

flat; grass-like, blue-green;

auricles 0–1.5 mm.

Inflorescences

a loose to dense cluster;

branches usually visible;

inflorescence bracts not swollen; erect.

2–6 clusters; clusters 3–7-flowered.

Flowers

tepals 6, dark brown-striped;

stamens 3;

filaments 0.5–0.6 mm;

anthers 0.5–0.8 mm;

styles 0.05–0.1 mm.

tepals 6, usually 2–3.6 mm, brown to dark brown;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.5–1 mm;

anthers 0.8–1.4 mm;

styles 0.8–1 mm.

Capsules

2–2.7 mm; shorter than the tepals, brown to dark brown;

apex acute to notched or obtuse, 1-chambered.

notched; longer than or equaling tepals; light to dark brown, 3-chambered.

Seeds

0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.25 mm, reticulate, apiculate.

0.3–0.4 × 0.2– 0.25 mm; plump, apiculate, reticulate.

=36, 38.

Juncus covillei

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Shores, springs, swales, peatlands, wet pastures, cranberry farms, ditches. 0–800m. CR, Est, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia. Native.

This species rarely hybridizes with J. laccatus. Montane J. exiguus has a symmetrical sheath apex and smooth sheath, differing from the more coastal J. hesperius, which has an asymmetrical sheath apex and papillose sheaths.

Shores, wet meadows, peatlands, ditches. 0–1800 m. BW, Casc, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; north to AK. Native.

Juncus covillei is similar to J. falcatus, which is restricted to coastal sandy habitats and has larger clusters that are more spherical or head-like. Reports of this species from northwestern Asia are J. prominens.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 278
Peter Zika

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 274
Peter Zika

Sibling taxa