OregonFlora species comparison

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Juncus occidentalis

prairie rush, western rush
Habit Plants perennial, 30–60 cm tall, cespitose, 0–3(5) strong stem ridges visible per side.
Leaves

thin and wiry;

blade flat and slightly inrolled;

auricles soft and thin distally, 0.1– 1.1 mm; dull, rounded or acute; dirty white.
Inflorescences

cymes, 1–7 cm;

bractlets subtending flowers blunt to acute.
Flowers

tepals 6, brown-striped;

tepal tips acuminate;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.6–1.1 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.9 mm;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm.
Capsules

2.7–4.5 mm; shorter than the tepals, brown;

apex usually truncate to slightly notched, strongly ridged or crested distally, 1-chambered.
Seeds

0.4–0.6 × 0.2– 0.25 mm, apiculate.
2n

=80.

Juncus occidentalis
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Wet prairies, swales, shores, riparian zones, seeps, wet meadows, balds, vernal pools, ditches. 0–2100 m. CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, WA; British Columbia, Baja California Norte, Mexico. Native.

Juncus occidentalis is a western Oregon sister species to J. confusus, separable by the construction of the capsules (threechambered in J. confusus, one-chambered in J. occidentalis).
Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 281
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. mexicanus, J. nevadensis, 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 tenuis var. congestus
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Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from OregonFlora.



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