OregonFlora species comparison

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Juncus planifolius

Juncus occidentalis

flat-leaved rush, New Zealand rush

prairie rush, western rush
Habit Plants perennial, rarely annual, 1–50 cm tall, cespitose, branching, base without tubers. Plants perennial, 30–60 cm tall, cespitose, 0–3(5) strong stem ridges visible per side.
Leaves

flat; grass-like;

auricles absent.

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

1–35 clusters; clusters 3–10-flowered, sometimes bearing leafy bulblets;

inflorescence bracts inconspicuous, membranous; shorter than or equaling inflorescence.

cymes, 1–7 cm;

bractlets subtending flowers blunt to acute.
Flowers

tepals 6, 1.8– 3.2 mm, dark brown to black; smooth;

stamens 3;

filaments 0.8–1.1 mm;

anthers 0.4–0.6 mm, yellow;

style 0.2–0.3 mm.

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

elliptic to ovoid; shorter than or equaling the tepals, brown to dark brown, 1-chambered.

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

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

0.3–0.45 × 0.2– 0.3 mm, reticulate, apiculate.

0.4–0.6 × 0.2– 0.25 mm, apiculate.
2n

=80.

Juncus planifolius

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

Muddy or sandy shores, sometimes in shallow water, ditches, cranberry farms, peatlands, damp dune hollows. 0–50 m. Est. CA; HI, South America; Australia, Ireland, New Zealand. Exotic.

Juncus planifolius was first collected in Oregon in 1988 and is rapidly spreading. It is native south of the equator.

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 283
Peter Zika		 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. occidentalis, J. orthophyllus, J. oxymeris, J. parryi, J. patens, J. pelocarpus, 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. 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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