OregonFlora: Juncus laccatus

	Juncus laccatus
	shiny rush
Habit	Plants perennial, 25–108 cm tall, cespitose, fresh stems shiny, smooth, dried fruiting stems slender, 0.6–2.6 mm diameter above distal sheath, remaining green, with 6–16 strong ridges becoming visible per side, dried ridges coarse or wide, capped with low dull cells.
Leaves	lacking blades; proximal sheaths smooth, not papillose (at 10×); distal sheaths 5–18 cm; distal half dark brown or black; shiny; thick and glossy; nerves obscure; apices symmetrical, unwinged, uniformly thick; dark, not inrolled.
Inflorescences	loose clusters; branches usually visible; inflorescence bracts not swollen.
Flowers	tepals 6; medium to dark brown-striped; stamens 3; filaments 0.4–0.9 mm; anthers 0.4–0.9 mm; styles 0.05–0.3 mm.
Capsules	1.7–2.2 mm; shorter than the tepals, brown to dark brown; apex obtuse to acute, 1-chambered.
Seeds	0.4–0.6 × 0.2–0.25 mm, reticulate, apiculate.
2n	=40, 80.

	Juncus laccatus
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Shores, swales, springs, seasonally wet ground, peatlands, and ditches. 0–1600m. Casc, CR, Est, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia, southeast to Arizona. Native. Occasionally cultivated, the thick shiny dark and smooth sheath of this species is distinctive; J. exiguus has a thinner, paler, and more textured sheath; J. hesperius has a less shiny, paler, and papillose sheath.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 279 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. hesperius, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, 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 effusus var. gracilis
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

Juncus laccatus

shiny rush

Habit

Plants perennial, 25–108 cm tall, cespitose, fresh stems shiny, smooth, dried fruiting stems slender, 0.6–2.6 mm diameter above distal sheath, remaining green, with 6–16 strong ridges becoming visible per side, dried ridges coarse or wide, capped with low dull cells.

Leaves

lacking blades;

proximal sheaths smooth, not papillose (at 10×);

distal sheaths 5–18 cm;

distal half dark brown or black; shiny; thick and glossy; nerves obscure;

apices symmetrical, unwinged, uniformly thick; dark, not inrolled.

Inflorescences

loose clusters;

branches usually visible;

inflorescence bracts not swollen.

Flowers

tepals 6; medium to dark brown-striped;

stamens 3;

filaments 0.4–0.9 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.9 mm;

styles 0.05–0.3 mm.

Capsules

1.7–2.2 mm; shorter than the tepals, brown to dark brown;

apex obtuse to acute, 1-chambered.

Seeds

0.4–0.6 × 0.2–0.25 mm, reticulate, apiculate.

=40, 80.

Juncus laccatus

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Shores, swales, springs, seasonally wet ground, peatlands, and ditches. 0–1600m. Casc, CR, Est, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia, southeast to Arizona. Native.

Occasionally cultivated, the thick shiny dark and smooth sheath of this species is distinctive; J. exiguus has a thinner, paler, and more textured sheath; J. hesperius has a less shiny, paler, and papillose sheath.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 279
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. hesperius, J. howellii, J. inflexus, J. interior, J. kelloggii, 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 effusus var. gracilis

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

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from OregonFlora.

Choose a data source: OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

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Juncus laccatus

Juncus laccatus