OregonFlora: Juncus mexicanus

	Juncus mexicanus
	Mexican rush
Habit	Plants perennial, 15–65 cm tall, rhizomatous, fresh stems smooth, slightly shiny, dark green to blue-green, dried stems with 0–14 weak ridges visible per side.
Leaves	with some well-developed blades on distal sheaths 4–10 cm, pale brown to dark brown distally; dull or shiny; smooth; apex symmetrical; thin, not winged.
Inflorescences	loose clusters; at least some branches usually visible; inflorescence bracts not swollen.
Flowers	tepals 6; dark brownstriped; stamens 6; filaments 0.2–0.4 mm; anthers 1.2–2.2 mm; styles 0.8–0.9 mm.
Capsules	4–5 mm; shorter than the tepals, dark brown; apex acute, 1-chambered.
Seeds	0.7–1 × 0.4– 0.45 mm, apiculate.

	Juncus mexicanus
Distribution	[BONAP county map]
Discussion	Floodplains, canyon bottoms. 500–600 m. Col. CA, NV; southeast to CO and TX; south to South America. Native. This species looks much like J. balticus but has distinctive, stem-like leaf blades on some stems.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 280 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. laccatus, J. lescurii, J. longistylis, J. marginatus, J. mertensianus, 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 arcticus var. mexicanus
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR 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 mexicanus

Mexican rush

Habit

Plants perennial, 15–65 cm tall, rhizomatous, fresh stems smooth, slightly shiny, dark green to blue-green, dried stems with 0–14 weak ridges visible per side.

Leaves

with some well-developed blades on distal sheaths 4–10 cm, pale brown to dark brown distally; dull or shiny; smooth;

apex symmetrical; thin, not winged.

Inflorescences

loose clusters; at least some branches usually visible;

inflorescence bracts not swollen.

Flowers

tepals 6; dark brownstriped;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.2–0.4 mm;

anthers 1.2–2.2 mm;

styles 0.8–0.9 mm.